Mortal Kombat: Echoes of the Past
by Raydiva
Summary: It has been over 500 years since Taja, Siro and Kung Lao. Now Johnny Cage, Sonya Blade and Liu Kang work to create a new school, but dangers from the past may put a stop to their plans. Removed Chapters 28 on up to make major changes
1. Prologue

Note: I do not own Mortal Kombat, etc, etc. I make no money from this and besides I'm broke. This is the start of the sequel to my Mortal Kombat: Conquest fanfic and pretty much takes place in the late 20th century.

Prologue

'Damn,'the god of wind thought as he painfully knelt down before the altars of the Elder Gods. 'Who would have thought that the Lin Kuei had such a warrior in this day and age?'

As Fujin though this, the ruined temple faded and was replaced with a marble lined room covered with murals of nature from throughout the realms. The altar of Air was replaced by the Elder God of that element. Fujin suppressed a flinch of pain, but one not of his injuries but of memory. For some reason the memory of his father, Enlil the former Elder God of Air crossed his mind. How long has it been since Enlil's and Benten-San's deaths?

"Lord Fujin, "the Elder God of Air spoke in a stern voice, "You have failed in your duties as one of the four guardians of the Temple of the Elements. A mortal warrior defeated you and has handed over the medallion to the sorcerer Quan Chi. What have you to say?"

The wind god hung his head down in shame as he replied, "There is nothing to say, I have failed and await Your punishment."

The Elder God stared silently for a few moments and then said, "We understand that the shields that locked in the medallion's power, also limited your and your fellow guardian's powers. You will not be punished but you will need to redeem yourself. Normally, I would give you the required task but another has requested your services."

As the Elder God of Air spoke, the altar of Time faded to be replaced by Kronos. Air continued, "I have agreed. Before you can returned to you place among the gods of Earthrealm you must complete the task He will set for you."

The Elder God of Air then vanished, to leave an uncomfortable silence between Fujin and the Elder God of Time. Kronos sighed and said, "You might as well rise, there is no point having your knees go numb in a false show of respect."

Fujin stood up and tried his best not to glare at the Elder God of Time. Over five hundred years ago, it was this Elder God that same as sent Rayden's soulbond to her death. What was worse, he had ordered Fujin to ensure that the woman would go. Not a day has passed since that Fujin hasn't thought of that day or blamed himself and the Elder God for Althea's death.

"You might want to know, that Rayden has already taken it upon himself to send that same warrior into the Neatherrealm to reclaim what was stolen, "said Kronos.

"That's impossible, "said Fujin without thinking, "Rayden has been suffering from the broken soulbond since…."

"True, but it seems that he has had a miraculous recovery, "said Kronos trying his hardest not to let his own relief show, "Actually, its your brother's recovery that brings me to this task I wish you to perform."

Kronos could almost see (as the mortals would say) the tiny wheels spinning in the deity's head as Fujin tried to guess what Kronos was hinting at. The Elder God continued, "I need for you to locate a certain person and return with her to Earthrealm."

The End….

Next time on Mortal Kombat: Echoes of the Past:

A loud crackling sound of electricity came from the back seat as a voice said, "I'm hurt."

The SUV swerved causing the other cars on the highway to blare their horns as they moved to avoid hitting the vehicle. "Damn it, Rayden!" yelled Johnny.


	2. Chapter 1: New School and Old Friends

Note: Ok, I'm tired of writing this same note over and over. So this is the last time I'm gonna say this in this particular fanfic: I do not own Mortal Kombat, Mortal Kombat: Conquest, Rayden, Liu Kang, etc…I'm just a big fan with some spare time on her hands. My original characters are my own; if you want to borrow them just ask first.

There will be other notes, but usually about announcements, requests, answers to questions, or to just help the story along.

Chapter One: New School and Old Friends

"Flight 726 from China now arriving at Gate 6, "the airport intercom announced. A overly handsome man, pulled down his sunglasses slightly and the put them back in place as he stood up. As he walked towards the gate, he sighed when he overheard two women talking.

"Is that Johnny Cage?" one asked in a loud whisper. The other responded, "Nah….No way we see a star like him in the airport lobby."

A small smile appeared on Johnny's face. After dieing last year, his stardom didn't seem as important as it once did. Wealth and fame were great, but being able to breath fresh air (or not so fresh air, it was LA after all) was so much better. Stopping near customs, he waited until he saw a familiar face. "Liu!" he yelled. Liu Kang turned and waved as he dropped his bag so that the customs agent could go through it.

**(scene change)**

Eventually, the two men were in Johnny's SUV and were braving LA's infamous highway traffic. "Sooooo, "said Johnny, "The old man finally agreed to the new school?"

"Yeah, "Liu answered, "It took long enough, but latest visit from the Chinese government convinced him it was best since he didn't know how long the temple would be allowed to remain open."

Johnny laughed slightly and said, "Just gonna warn you, if you insist on enforcing the religious teachings you're not going to get many students here in the good old US of A. There are a lot of people wanting to learn martial arts, but not many who are up for becoming a monk or nun."

Leaning back into the car seat, Liu sighed and rubbed his tired eyes. "I don't mine, "he finally said, "If they want religious teachings great if not no problem. Actually, I could do with a little less religion and fewer gods myself."

A loud crackling sound of electricity came from the back seat as a voice said, "I'm hurt."

The SUV swerved causing the other cars on the highway to blare their horns as they moved to avoid hitting the vehicle. "Damn it, Rayden!" yelled Johnny.

With laughter in his voice, the thundergod said, "Sorry."

Leaning forward and placing his face in his hand, Liu Kang asked, "What are you doing here?"

"Just thought I'd drop in, besides, "answered Rayden, "someone has to keep an eye on you guys."

"Please don't tell me, he's gonna be a regular at the school," begged Johnny to Liu.

"I hope not, "the monk mumbled.

The thundergod in question, ignored their comments as he looked behind them and said, "Hmmmm, you are aware you're being followed?"

"What? "Liu said as he turned around in the seat to look back. Following them was a dark green hummer with the words 'U.S. Army' painted in white. Due to the windshield's reflection, it was impossible to see who was driving.

Looking in the rearview mirror, Johnny smiled and said, "Hey, looks like they made it after all."

Suddenly, Rayden vanished and then the hummer swerved sharply nearly slamming in the car in the neighboring lane.

**(scene change)**

Later that day, the two cars were parked outside a huge ranch-style building. The two guys stepped out of the SUV as a blonde woman did the same from the hummer. "It's not much, "said Johnny, "but it has everything you asked for and a few things you might have forgotten."

"It looks big enough, "said Liu.

"So this is going to be the new school, "the blonde in military fatigues asked.

"Thinking about it, "said Liu, "Where's Jax?"

"With only me and him officially being in the Special Force's new Outerworld Investigations Agency, one of us had to say in D.C. to keep the politicians happy,"said Sonya and then shrugged, "So we flipped a coin and he lost."

Johnny laughed slightly and then said, "Ok, time for the grand tour." He then walked up to the door and unlocked it."….and this is what I believe was the big seller, "said Johnny as he open the double door, revealing a huge room. Hardwood floors, large mirrors lining one wall, and covered exercise equipment showed what this room was for. "The guy who owned this place last was an exercise guru and had converted this ball room into a gym. There's even a spa, hot tub and swimming pool outback."

Sonya coughed as she pulled off a protective sheet off of one of the bench presses.

"You might want to replace most of this stuff, "warned Johnny, "Most of it hasn't been used in years."

**(scene change)**

Rayden watched from the rafters as the three chosen left to check out the rest of the grounds. The thundergod tried to shake off the feeling of déjà vu. With sad eyes, he hoped that this school would have better luck than……'Don't think about it, 'he thought to himself, 'This is a different place and time than when Kung Lao attempted to create his school. Modern communication and transportation almost ensure more and better students will show up."

A small wave a pain went through him at the memory of one particular student of Kung Lao's crossed his mind. The thundergod then vanished with a flash of light.

**(scene change)**

As they headed back to their cars, Johnny asked, "So….Sonya you gonna be staying here?"

The blonde leaned against the hummer with her arms crossed, "Depends. It would be easier for me to set up an office here since I will want all if not most OIA agents to train here, but….the higher ups may not like it."

"Why?" said Johnny, but it was Liu Kang that answered, "Because I was born and raised in communist China."

"That's crazy, "said Johnny, "You've saved the world more than once. They should be begging you to train their people."

"Look we know that, "said Sonya, "But these are the same people that didn't even believe there was an Outworld until an army of Shokan appeared on the front steps of the White House."

Liu shrugged and then said, "Look, its no big deal. The OIA agents can always come here for lessons during their off time. With your backing, Johnny, the school will open with or without government funding."

Sonya sighed and then said, "With that in mind….Let's see what needs to be done to make this place secure."

The End…..

Kneeling before is own throne Kahn spoke, "Greetings….Father."


	3. Chapter 2: Old Foes and a Ride Home

Note: Okay I got a request to make these chapters a little longer. I'll try to keep that in mind in the future. This one is a little longer than the last, but I'll try to make fewer but longer chapters than planned….Like my plans ever work out.

**Chapter Two: Old Foes and a Ride Home**

Shao Kahn, the Emperor of Outworld and Conquer of Realms sat on his iron and bone throne fuming. The sounds of tortured victims did nothing to sooth his rage. A year ago, the plan to finally capture Earthrealm that took centuries to create failed. The great and mighty forces of Outworld, humbled by a handful of mortal warriors and traitors….not only was the best chance of finally acquiring that cursed realm destroyed, he had also lost his hold on the realm of Edenia. Even now that bitch queen and her daughter were no doubt scheming to gather their scattered race. The emperor growled under his breath as he slowly gripped the skull he had in his hand tighter and tighter…until it shattered.

The normally static, shadow priests fidgeted slightly with unease. Not from their master's anger, but due to something in the air. Someone of great power and malice was approaching. Shao Kahn himself finally sensed the same thing and quickly stood up. "Leave, "he ordered and his minions quickly moved to follow his command. After a few seconds of silence, he stepped down from his throne, moved to the side and knelt down on one knee. Looking down, the emperor saw blood red trimmed, black robes past by. Khan heard steps as He walked up to the throne and sat down. Looking up, Khan saw his master's pale, blue tinged face. Long black hair with gray streaks held in place with a thin blood red band and dark, bloodshot eyes showed no emotion as He looked down at the kneeling emperor.Kahn spoke, "Greetings….Father."

"Tell me, why is Rayden still alive and Earthrealm in existence? "Shinnok asked in a cold voice.

**(Scene change) **

"Ahhh…chooo!" A cloud of dust rose from behind a small mountain of books and scrolls.

The Royal Librarian smiled at the sight and sound. For years now, the strange woman has gone over the ancient text searching for a possible way to return to her homeland. The librarian placed the tray he was carrying on a small table. Sitting down on a comfortable chair, he proceeded to pour himself a cup of tea.

Another loud sneeze sounded and nearly caused a poorly balanced stack of books to collapse. Shaking his head slightly, the librarian sighed and then said, "Would you care for some tea, Althea?"

A dust covered woman rose from behind the books and stretched. Winching at the sound of popping joints, she replied, "Sounds good. I could use a small break."

She dusted herself off as she walked out from behind the desk. As he poured her a cup, he couldn't help but once again noticed what marked her as not being of this world: Yellow hair, bluish-green eyes and her pale skin. Where his people normally had black hair, black eyes and tanned skin. Sitting down, she gratefully took the cup of tea and took a sip.

"There has been another….request by the royal heir for your hand, "said the librarian with a raised eyebrow.

Althea groaned and said, "When will he understand. I already have someone I care deeply about and have no interest in him. Besides I don't belong here."

Sighing, the librarian asked, "Have you considered the possibility the way may not exist?"

"Oh there's a way, "said Althea, "If I can't find my own way, I know how to get the attention of those that can get me home."

"Then why…."

"Let's just say those who live in this realm and would be able to get me home are one's that would prefer I didn't even exist, "Althea answered with a grim half-smile.

**(Scene change) **

A cloaked figure walked through the silent city. Coming upon a public bench, he sat down with an audible sigh. When he pulled back his hood, long white hair pulled back into a pony tail revealed that he too was not of this realm. "This is getting hopeless," Fujin said out loud to the night sky, "How the hell do I find one woman who could be anywhere in any realm if I don't even have full use of my powers? She could be in the building right next to me and I wouldn't sense her."

Earthrealm's God of Wind let his head fall back as the thought, 'At least this realm makes sense. If I ever visit Chaosrealm again it will be too soon.' Calorna, Chaosrealm, Dreano, Orderrealm…..For seven years he has searched the realms, but not even a clue to where she was. It would have been easier if Rayden was here. Even without his powers, he would have been able to sense Althea's presence. All he would have to do was step out of a portal for a few seconds to determine if she was on that realm or not, if she was just walk in her general direction. However, the Elder God chose Fujin for this task and had forbidden him from even telling his brother. After hearing the stories, he could understand why. Unable to fulfill his duties for over five hundred years, Rayden 'recovered' just in time. His chosen won the critical tournament and fought off an Outworld invasion. There was no way this could have been done, if Rayden was distracted. Fujin closed his eyes, and breathed in the night air for a few peaceful seconds trying to think what to do next.

"Careful, you don't want to strain yourself, "said a woman's voice.

Fujin opened one eye and saw a white haired woman sitting next to him. She was wearing black baggy pants, gray shirt and a black leather vest, basically the same thing he was wearing under the cloak only in different colors. Her hair was pulled back into a pony tail, like his own hair, and crystal blue humor filled eyes blinked at him, over a dark scarf. "Its been so long since you actually used your brain, "she continued, "you might end up pulling something if you think too much."

Fujin groaned, "What is that suppose to mean?"

The woman shrugged, pulled up legs up under herself and looked around as if bored. Fujin sat back up and just stared at her for a few moments, waiting. Finally he had to ask, "What are you doing here?"

"Same as always, "she said, "Trying to make sure certain events happen and others don't happen."

Something clicked and Fujin looked closer at the strange woman to ask, "Is me finding Althea one of those events that is suppose to happen?"

"Nooooo, "she said and after seeing Fujin's dismay added, "She's suppose to find you."

**(Scene change) **

"Thanks for the tea, "Althea said as she got up and walked towards the desk, "Think I'll take a walk and get some fresh air. Need to clear out the dust and cobwebs from my brain."

The librarian nodded and said, "Very well, just be careful. A lone woman walking around the city in the middle of the night…."

"I know, "Althea smiled as she reached down behind the desk to pull out a harnessed and two sheathed swords attached to it. She slid her arms into the harness and buckled it place. After making sure the swords could be pulled out easily, she said, "See ya later."

After stepping out of the Royal Library, Althea took a deep breath of clean night air. She then started walking down the road. 'Seven years, 'she thought, 'Seven years since I showed up in this realm. I wonder if the others even remember me?' She kicked a small pebble out of the way and continued to think to herself, 'I don't even know if they are still alive. Hell, I don't even know for sure they have even been born yet. That was a time-rip that sent me here, no doubt about it. But those were supposed to be impossible only a theory kicked around by senile time-mages. Then again, how many mages take into account a battle between a group that consisted of a god, godslayer, werewolf and crimelord against a monster possessed by a rogue dragon spirit, taking place within spitting distance of a temple considered important by Elder Gods? Maybe what was in that temple reacted with my newly awakened time-gift? Who knows, but anything the Elder Gods consider important enough to take notice when someone tries to take it can't be good.'

After walking for a few more minutes, trying to clear her mind, she suddenly stopped and looked around. Althea would occasionally sense the local gods as they looked over or visited the realm, but this wasn't someone local but still familiar …."Fujin!" she whispered.

**(Scene change) **

Fujin was mentally kicking himself. All that time wasted! He should have remembered that Althea could sense the presence of gods and other beings of power if they weren't trying to hide themselves. All he had to do was sit still in a realm for a few days without hiding who he is. He was under orders from the Elder Gods; no local deity was going to gainsay his right to be there. Instead of a year or more in a realm, sneaking around and searching, he could have waited a few days to a week for her to sense him. She's smart and a mage, she would have found someway to either contact or get to him.

"I am an IDIOT!" Fujin yelled.

"You just figure that out? I could have told you that a looooong time ago."

Fujin jumped up from the bench and turned around to see Althea grinning with unshed tears in her eyes. She said, "It's been a long time. Please tell me you're my ride home."

**(Scene change) **

"So you're telling me I've been gone…."Althea started but had to look away without completing the thought. After finding him, Althea took Fujin back to the library where they could talk and she could collect her things. Has she gathered her notes and some clothes from the small room that was hers, he told her of what has happened since she 'died.' Her bag packed and sitting at the small table in the library, they were waiting for the librarian to show up so she could say good-bye. After hours of listening to Fujin's story, Althea knew things were worse than she ever thought. "So Rayden thinks I'm dead?" she said.

Sadly Fujin answered, "Yes. He was seriously out of it until recently."

"Then do you really think it's a good idea for me to go back?"

Shocked Fujin said, "What! Of course I do."

"Think about it, "said Althea in a quiet voice, "He's just recovered from centuries of mourning. I'm mortal, if anything should happen to me again…."

Fujin covered her hand with his own, looking her straight in the eyes said, "I know for a fact that it's best that you return to Earthrealm. An Elder God sent me to bring you back. Rayden still misses you and it was that messed up bond thing that caused him to lose it. Whether you return or not, if something like that happens he will feel it. No matter how far away you are. If he wasn't so busy lately, he would have figured out you were back. You do want to see him again?"

Althea exclaimed, "Of course I do! It's just…."

"Hello, "Fujin said with a smile, "Weren't you listening? He still cares for you."

"Who still cares, "demanded a powerful male voice, "And who are you?"

"Oh no…."groaned Althea and she placed her face in her hand.

Fujin stood and gave a slight bow, "I am known as Fujin, and you are?"

"Prince Leandes, "growled the dark skinned man, "What business do you have with my intended?"

Raising an eyebrow in Althea's direction, the wind god asked, "You're intended?"

"Look, "Althea stood and looked the prince directly in the eyes, "I said NO and I meant it. How difficult is it to get it through that thick skull of yours. I have absolutely no interest in you."

Fujin cover his mouth to keep from laughing out loud but his shoulders shook. It seems that Althea has acquired an admirer, a stubborn one at that.

"Lord Leandes, there you are, "said the librarian as he walked in. Seeing Althea glaring at the prince and the prince doing the same at a strange white haired man, he said, "Oh my…"

"Fujin, "said Althea, "where and how fast can you open a portal?"

"Here and a few seconds, but since it will take a moment to close behind us it would be best if no one follows us, "Fujin answered with a smile.

"You are not going anywhere, "the prince ordered as he grabbed the woman's arm.

'Oh oh, 'Fujin thought.

"Oh really, "Althea growled and for the first time since she arrived in this realm, she allowed her eyes to flare up in light blue flame. She raised her free arm and engulfed her hand in the same light blue flame, "I suggest you release me…now."

The prince released her arm and slowly backed away. Both Leandes and the Royal Librarian stared in shock at the woman's fiery display.

"Fujin,"she said.

"Already on it, "said the windgod with a grin, "Hope you don't mind if we stop off somewhere first. I was told to take you to meet Lord Kronos before taking you to Earth."

"No problem, "she answered as she picked up her satchel and the harness, "I have a few choice words for him anyway."

The End…..

Next Time on Mortal Kombat: Echoes of the Past

"None from what I've seen, "came a man's voice.

Sonya and Liu turned to see a dark haired man wearing a blue T-shirt and dark pants with a red scar crossing over his right eye standing in the doorway.


	4. Chapter 3: Attack from the Shadows

**Chapter Three: Attack from the Shadows**

Behind a movie studio Johnny sat, yelling into his cell phone, "Look, you said you and your people were going to be there this morning at nine am. What do I find out? No one showed. If you can't keep to your contract, I'll find someone who can!" Slamming the cell phone onto a small table, the actor tried to calm down. A gofer hesitantly handed him a cold bottle of water, which Johnny happily guzzled down. It's been a real pain getting the ranch in order. All that it really needed was to be clean out and the security updated, but no. The idiots that were hired to help clean out the place didn't even bother to show. There was no way Liu and Sonya would be able to do it alone, and here he was stuck on the set. The phone rang, and with a sigh Johnny picked it up, "Yeah……I know, I know. Just got off the phone with them."

From behind a scene panel of a stormy New York skyline, Rayden walked out and took a donut from the snack table. He munched on it as he watched Johnny talk on the phone. "Gotta go, "said Johnny seeing the thundergod, "A friend of ours showed up…..yeah that's him." He turned off the phone with a sigh and asked, "Any chance of putting the fear of a god into some workmen?"

Dusting off his hands as he sat down in the chair next to Johnny, Rayden smiled and then said, "I could…..but it wouldn't help. Trust me."

"Just an idea, "said Johnny, "So what brings you here?"

Rayden shrugged and said, "Just had a feeling you wanted to talk."

Johnny looked away for a few seconds and then said, "Yeah, but now is not a good time."

Rayden counted off silently in his head, '5…4…3….2…."

"Why was I brought back? Why can't I remember…being dead? All I know is one moment I'm surrounded by Outworld monsters and the next I'm in the morgue scaring the crap out of a mortician."

An understanding look crossed Rayden's face. He knew this was coming; he was just surprised it took so long. "Let's just say there is a combination of reasons for your resurrection. Just remember, it's an extremely rare person that is brought back with the blessings of the Elder Gods as you were. As for not remembering….how much of the afterlife do you _really_ want to know while you are alive and breathing?"

Another gofer walked up and after checking out the gray haired man in white and blue, said, "They're calling you on the set Mr. Cage."

Johnny stood up with his trademark grin and said, "Nice talking with you, Rayden, but gotta go."

Rayden waved as Johnny walked off and then vanished.

**(Scene Change) **

"What did he say?" asked Liu as Sonya hung up the phone, "And what did it have to do with Rayden?"

Sonya moved the phone out of the way so they could continue cleaning the den/library. "He's already talked to the cleaning company and Rayden showed up as we were talking."

Liu shook his head slightly and then continued going through the books on the shelves. Most of which was ending up in the box to be taken away. Whoever owned this place previously, must have bought the books for looks rather than content.

"At least the new security system is up, "said Sonya, "Although what good it will do against the type of people we deal with I have no idea."

"None from what I've seen, "came a man's voice.

Sonya and Liu turned to see a dark haired man wearing a blue T-shirt and dark pants with a red scar crossing over his right eye standing in the doorway. He wore a dark blue shirt with black pants.

"Sub-Zero, "said Liu Kang without emotion, "What brings you here?"

"I heard you were planning to open a school and was curious, "said the former assassin.

"You thinking of staying around?" asked Sonya.

"No, it would be unwise, "Sub-Zero answered, "There is still those of the old Lin Kuei that seek my life. Perhaps when and if they are taken care of…" He shrugs.

"Well, "said Liu a little warmer, "You're welcomed here anytime. Who knows, maybe we'll make you one of the instructors."

Sub-Zero blinked and just stared at the monk.

"Ooookay, "said Sonya sensing the temperature in the room go down a few degrees, "Well while you guys talk, I'll go see if there is anything else we can do while waiting for the cleaning crew."

**(Scene Change) **

A pair of solid black warriors with gray glowing eyes knelt down before Shinnok. Their eyes revealing nothing but total obedience to their lord and master, as they each held up a dark red sack. The fallen Elder God took one of the sacks and opened it. "Ah…I remember this one, "he said as he pulled out a head from the sack, "a minor fertility god I believe." Then carelessly threw the head over his shoulder and took the other sack. Opening it a cruel smile crossed his place as he said, "Now this is a prize indeed." Shinnok took out the baldhead from the sack as he walked over to a small shrine like table on which two heads were already placed. One with red hair and the other with hair so black it had blue streaks. He then placedthe bald head next to them. "God of Fire" he said as he fondly stroked the red hair and then went to the dark haired one, "God of Water," and then almost jokingly taped the newest one's scalp, "and now the God of Stone. All that is left of the guardians isthe God of Wind. You may go." He waved his hand nonchalantly and the two warriors vanished.

"How long do you think it will take for the other gods to notice?" asked Shao Kahn as he entered the room.

"Not long, but long enough, "said Shinnok not bothering to even look at his youngest son, "When that happens, I will deal with it. Your only concern is keeping Outworld and regaining Edenia. Leave Earthrealm to me."

Kahn gave a slight bow and left the room. Once out of earshot, he growled and slammed his fist in to the wall making a sizable hole.

"Master, "said Reiko, "Is there nothing we can do?"

The Emperor's eyes flashed angrily at his most loyal warrior and said, "Not at the moment, but…." Kahn calmed down as a thought crossed his mind. "Yes, "he said, "There just might be something. Follow me." The Emperor of Outworld then walked purposely down the hallway with his minion following.

**(Scene Change) **

As the sun started to set, a blue with black trim motorcycle pulled into a rest stop and parked. The rider removed his helmet to reveal the scarred face of the Lin Kuei warrior, Sub-Zero. Dismounting the bike, he walked over to one of the picnic tables to sit down. He couldn't believe the monk's offer to stay with them and teach. The last thing he needed to do was stay in one place for too long or have friends which could be used against him. Smoke may no longer be a threat, but there was Sektor and Cyrax to worry about. Sub-Zero stretched out his legs and looked up into the night sky to watch the stars come out, thinking of what to do next.

Instinct kicked in and screamed "MOVE!" Sub-Zero then rolled off the table and purposely fell to the ground. Rolling away and then to stand up, he heard a "Get over here!" as a rope like creature flew at him. Without thinking, he sent a wave of absolute zero to the thing freezing it instantly. Sub-Zero looked towards where it came from as the 'rope' hit the ground and shattered. He didn't see anyone, but then felt a powerful, burning kick from behind. Hitting the ground again, he rolled to get out the way and back up to his feet.

'Damn, 'he thought as he saw the familiar black and yellow leather armor.

"You are letting your guard down, "came the voice as if from the grave.

Sub-Zero didn't bother with a response outside of pulling off his shirt, revealing a well defined and muscular torso. He examined the back of the shirt to fine that there was little damage and that it was nothing a good washing couldn't fix.

"Why didn't you join them at the school?" the specter asked.

That surprised Sub-Zero more than Scorpion's 'attack.' "What do you mean?" He asked as he pulled the shirt back on.

However, Scorpion was no longer there to answer.

**(Scene Change) **

"What are you doing?" Althea asked as Fujin knelt down in what appeared to be some old ruins.

"Requesting an audience with the Elder Gods, "Fujin responded seriously.

Althea just looked at the windgod for a few seconds, fighting the urge to yell out "Hello, anyone home!" Instead, she took a deep breath and knelt down as well.

As if that was the cue, the room started to change and Althea nearly forgot to breathe as she watched the transformation. The ruin seemed to melt as it was replaced by a marble lined room with frescos of nature. 'Now this was some major magic, 'she thought. Then she noticed the appearance of the Elder God of Time, Kronos. He was as she remembered him from that one meeting, but seemed tired.

"You may stand, "the Elder God said with a small smile. Once the god and godslayer were standing, he continued, "You have done well, Lord Fujin. You have redeemed yourself and your office among the gods of Earthrealm has been restored to you."

Fujin bowed and then Kronos centered his attention on Althea, "You are both a bother and a welcomed sight, Godslayer Althea."

'At least he's honest,' Althea thought trying not to grin. For some reason she just could not get serious about this meeting.

"I am renewing the offer of you being allowed to declare Earthrealm as your home. Do you accept or decline?" Kronos spoke in a voice that clearly stated she had to make the choice now.

Without hesitation, the woman answered, "I accept and wish to declare Earth as my homerealm."

"Done, "said the Elder God with something sounding like relief in his voice. This sounded the alarms in Althea head, alarms that rang even louder when Kronos 'requested' that Fujin leave for a few moments. Once Fujin left, Althea spoke up, "Ok, what's wrong?"

Kronos raised an eyebrow and said, "You are aware that using such a tone when addressing an Elder God could mean a fate worse than death."

"You're the one who wanted to see me, "said Althea, "Although I am grateful to you for sending Fujin to find me."

The Elder God nodded and then asked, "Rayden did tell you of the responsibilities and duties you take on by declaring Earth your home?"

"Yes, "said the woman trying to figure out where the Elder God was leading to, "He also told me it would be unlikely for me to be called upon for more than protecting the realm, which I would have done anyway."

"Normally, that is correct, "said Kronos, "However….recent events may have changed that. The temple you sacrificed yourself to protect has been broken into and Earthrealm endangered by Outworld not once but twice. Now…." Kronos shook his head and if changing his mind about something. He then asked, "What has Rayden told you of his past?"

The sudden change in topic struck Althea as odd and really got the alarms going. "Not much, I figured that when he was ready we could talk about it, but then again we never really got much of a chance did we."

Kronos smiled and then said, "In that case you will have a good reason to stay close to him and him you."

"Rayden is in danger, isn't he." Althea said bluntly.

"Perhaps, "said Kronos, "It's too early to tell, all I can say is for you to keep an eye on him and Fujin as well if possible."

"Things must be bad, "said Althea, "You're asking a godslayer to watch over gods. Mind telling me what's going on?"

The Elder God remained silent.

Athea felt her temper rise as she said, "How the hell do you expect me to 'protect' Rayden if I don't even know from what? What is it with gods and secrets?"

**(Scene Change) **

"You okay Rayden?" asked Liu Kang seeing the thundergod rubbing his head.

"Huh? Oh, nothing to worry about, "Rayden answered, hiding his concern behind his dark eyes. 'Where did that sudden flare up of anger come from?' he thought.

The three chosen and the thundergod sat around an outside wooden table, taking in the cool night air. Johnny then asked, "So Sonya, any news from Jax?"

"No, and in a sense that's good news. That means no one is really against this project, "said Sonya, "It will take time, until then…"

"We make do, "finished Liu Kang.

Rayden wasn't even listening to the conversation. He kept looking towards some brush on the other side of the yard. Something wasn't right.

"You sure you okay, Rayden? No offense, but you seem distracted even for you." asked Johnny.

"I'm fine, "said Rayden turning to answer Johnny. He suddenly fell to the ground, a grabbing his shoulder. As he fell his friends could see what appeared to be a crossbow bolt sticking out from the back of his shoulder. Liu and Sonya knocked the table over as Johnny dragged the thundergod behind it. Rayden tried to get up, but was pushed back down by the actor. The thundergod then hissed with pain, "We need to get inside."

"Tell us something we don't know, "said Sonya as she pulled out a small pistol from her boot. Seeing Liu glaring at the gun, she said, "Lecture me later about the no guns rule."

Another bolt sliced through the table and hit the ground with a thud, right next to Rayden. "I don't think that table is going to do the job, guys, and "said Johnny.

Aiming in the general direction of where the bolts were coming from, Sonya fired and then said, "You guys get him inside, and I'll cover you."

"What about you?" demanded Johnny.

"Guys, "said Liu as he stared in the direction of the building, "We got more company."

The others looked and saw two 'men' dressed in black with gray glowing eyes. Once carried a heavy, curved sword and the other another crossbow. The one with the crossbow took aim.

**(Scene Change) **

Outside of the ruins, Fujin asked, "What was that all about?"

"To be honest, I'm not really sure. Perhaps…."Althea said and then fell to her knee, grabbing her should as she cried out in pain.

"What's wrong?" asked Fujin kneeling next to her. Through clenched teeth, she answered, "Rayden's hurt. Get me to him, now!"

Picking up her bag and then holding on to her arm, he nodded. The wind started to blow around them, blinding any view. Once the wind died down and the dust settled, they were gone.

**(Scene Change)**

Sonya turned to fire at the new threat. She hit the one with the crossbow knocking him back slightly; causing the bolt he was firing to miss. Aside from that, the bullet didn't affect him.

Johnny and Liu then attacked, the actor knocking the crossbow out the hands of one attacker and Liu circled the other trying to avoid the curved sword. Sonya tried to help Rayden to his feet, knowing that there was at least one other out there. "Hurry up you over rated bug zapper, "she yelled, "We need to get you inside."

Rayden shook his head, "Don't worry about me, its not as bad as it looks."

"Don't give me that, "said Sonya as she tried to partially carry Rayden towards the house, "You're a god! How the hell can you be hurt like this in the first place?"

Rayden winched as they suddenly turned at the sound of metal on metal, to see two swords just inches from them. One curved and the other straighter blocking its deadly arc to their backs. "I don't think so, "said Althea eyes flashing, "Get him inside, I'll deal with this."

Knowing now was not the time to ask questions, Sonya attempted to do just that but Rayden was rooted to the spot. "Thea?" he whispered with disbelief. All though of his injury and the fight was momentarily gone, all that he could think was that she was there and alive. How?

Pulling out the mate of the sword she already in hand, she stood ready to attack or defend, waiting for the assassin's next move. The figures eyes flashed briefly and then he vanished as if evaporating. "Okay, that wasn't what I was expecting?" she said and then looked towards the others. The ones that the two men were fighting moments ago were also gone.

Liu and Johnny turned to see the strange woman, not sure what to make of her. Just then a man with gray hair in a pony tail walked out from the brush. He yelled, "The other one is gone too. Guess they didn't want a fair fight."

"Fujin?" asked Rayden and he would have said something more, but the pain combined with blood loss nearly knocked him out. Sonya could barely hold him up. Althea then grabbed her own shoulder and fell to one knee. She hissed, "Damn shields they're not working."

Liu then helped Sonya with Rayden, and then ordered, "Everyone inside!"

"You too, Fujin!" Althea said, eyes flickering as Johnny helped her up, "If you dare leave now, I swear I'll hunt you down and make you mortal for a week!"

**The End….**

Next time on Mortal Kombat: Echoes of the Past:

"So…what's your connection with Rayden?" asked Johnny. Althea smiled and gave the movie star a 'Do-you-really-want-to-know' look.


	5. Chapter 4: First Aid

Note: Sorry this chapter is kinda short, but I just couldn't seem to be able to get any more stuff in. The next chapter should be more of a reasonable length.

Chapter Four: First Aid

"Cowards! Worthless, pitiful cowards!" Shinnok roared, "You had Rayden at your mercy and you let him live!"

Four of the Brotherhood, knelt motionless before their lord and master until one spoke, "The God of Wind, Fujin, and an unknown woman interfered."

"You fear the idiot windgod and a _woman _more than me?" Shinnok hissed as he raised his now darkness engulfed fist.

"She had weapons whose type has not been seen ages and her aura was like we've never seen. We felt it prudent to inform you of her and not to risk the possibility of your involvement being discovered."

The fallen deity growled as he lowered his hand and considered his servant's words. "Show me what happened, "he ordered.

About an hour later, Quan Chi smirked as he entered his master's new throne room. The sorcerer knew that Shinnok would have tried to take over the realm of Earth without him, just to prove that Quan Chi wasn't as important as he truly was. No doubt the fool found out that Earth was harder to conquer than anyone would have expected. Quan Chi nearly laughed, thinking that someone should have learned by now that taking of Earthrealm was not worth the cost. So why bother, just take what you need and then leave. There were better, easier worlds to ensnare.

The pale sorcerer knelt before his master and said, "I have come as commanded, my Lord."

Without warning, Quan Chi found himself being held up by Shinnok's one-handed grip around his throat. His toes barely touching the ground, the sorcerer tried to pry the finger's from his neck.

"You told me the godslayer was dead!" Shinnok hissed.

Quan Chi tried to say that she was but was unable to say anything around Shinnok's grip. Somehow, the former Elder God knew what Quan Chi was trying to say and said, "Then how do you explain this?"

The image of a narrow sword blocking a heavier one, flashed across Quan Chi's mind. Then a different view of the event showed Althea holding the narrow sword saying, "I don't think so."

**(Scene Change)**

"Damn, "Liu said as he checked Rayden's injury, "I'm not sure how to get this thing out. Whether I pull or push its going to get stuck."

"Don't you think we should get him to a doctor?" asked Johnny.

Rayden gave the actor a dirty look from the couch. "Oh yeah…right, "said Johnny realizing that Rayden's case was…unique. Walking towards a door he said, "Think I'll go check on that Fujin guy and what's her name."

"Did the bolt break through?" asked Sonya as she started to spread out some first aid supplies, "If it did, break the back end without moving it. Then push it the rest of the way."

"How? It's made out of metal, "said Liu.

After thinking for a few seconds, Sonya ran out of the room and came back with a black case. Placing it on the coffee table next to the first aid kit, she opened it and pulled out a sliver and black cylinder. Taking one of the crossbow bolts they found outside, she placed it on an old piece of plywood. After making a few adjustments to the cylinder, a narrow beam of red light came out one end and hit the bolt. The smell of burnt metal filled the room, but the bolt remained solid. Undaunted, Sonya made a few more adjustments and tried again. This time where the light touched the bolt, it started to bubble slightly.

"Almost there, "Sonya mumbled as she made a few more adjustments. The beam of light then slide through the metal cutting it in half.

"Hand me another one to make sure, "said Sonya and as Liu handed another bolt to her she said, "By the way, this thing doesn't exist."

"Right, "said Liu, "Like beings from another planet, gotcha."

Sonya just gave Liu a look as she leaned over the thundergod and started to cut away the backend of the bolt. Once the cut through edge was cooled and without warning, she pushed it throughand then pulled the bolt out Rayden's shoulder.

Once that was done, Sonya started to clean the injury when Rayden's hand came up and grabbed her wrist. He said, "Don't bother."

"What?" she said and then noticed that the injury was already starting to close. "Ooookay, "she said as she started to put away the first aid supplies and the 'non-existent' tool.

**(Scene Change)**

"Let me get this straight; you're Fujin, God of Wind and Rayden's brother, "said Johnny trying to make conversation.

Fujin nodded as he drank from a soda can. The actor then turned towards the woman looking out one of the windows and asked, "He's a god, are you a goddess of some sort?"

Fujin nearly choked on his soda and the woman answered "No, "said Althea not sure how much to tell this person, "I'm mortal."

"So…what's your connection with Rayden?" asked Johnny. Althea smiled and gave the movie star a 'Do-you-really-want-to-know' look. Ignoring the look, Johnny continued, "It's obvious you know each other and the way Rayden looked at you it was like he was seeing a ghost."

Althea returned to looking out the window, deciding to ignore the man's questions. She knew she was being rude, but she just didn't feel like talking. Tired, so tired. It has been a long day and didn't seem to be ending anytime soon in spite of the apparent late hour. Twinges of pain, coming through her link with Rayden also irritated her to the point that she wanted to hit something. Especially the bastard that shot Rayden, that one would suffer big time if she ever found him. Althea's eyes flashed briefly, but unseen by the actor or the windgod. A sudden flare of pain through her shoulder caused her to hiss and grab that shoulder. "Feels like they got the bolt out, "said Althea.

"How…."Johnny started, but stopped when he saw Fujin shake his head.**(Scene Change)**

On the roof of the ranch house, a dark figure of a woman stood up as Althea walked away from the window. The woman looked up at the half-moon and a set of bat-like wings unfurled from her back. A few silent flaps and she launched herself into the night sky.

**(Scene Change)**

Sub-Zero continued driving down the now deserted highway. What did Scorpion mean? He still didn't fully trust the specter who hunted his family for centuries, but something happened during the Outworld invasion that changed that. For some crazy reason, Scorpion believed he owed the current Sub-Zero. Why this sudden change, the Lin Kuei had no idea but he wasn't going to argue. Anything that meant one less person hunting him was a good thing.

In the distance, a woman ran across the highway with two men covered from head to toe in black chasing her. For a passing moment, Sub-Zero was just going to continue on but when one of the men stopped to look at the approaching motorcycle, he saw the gray glowing eyes. He gunned his bike to knock over the strange man, but his target threw what appeared to be a ball of shadow blinding him. The bike slid and fell to the side as Sub-Zero cussed under his breath as he jumped off to avoid being stuck under the bike. A woman's warning scream alerted him in time to dodge an unseen but heard attack. The darkness wore off and Sub-Zero found himself standing between the two men with the woman on the ground a good distance behind one of them.

Sub-Zero dodged another blast of shadow and sent a blast of cold back as a response. The cold hit, freezing the warrior solid. His partner sent a high kick to Sub-Zero's head, which the Lin Kuei caught and sent the attacker flying into the frozen fighter. The frozen warrior shattered, but before the bits of ice hit the ground they melted and dissolved in mid-air. The remaining fighter jumped up from the ground to his feet, eyes closing slightly as Sub-Zero removed his helmet.

The woman watched as ice and shadow fought in the night, unable to take her eyes away from the scene. Sub-Zero dodged as the dark clad fighter, sent a barrage of punches and kicks. The Lin Kuei warrior then started to send his own attacks, but unlike his opponent's his landed. Eventually, Sub-Zero was able to land a good kick knocking the fighter far enough away to give him time to summon and send a stronger than normal blast of cold. The shadowy warrior melted away just before the blast hit.

Carefully looking around, Sub-Zero approached the woman and helped her up. In the moon light, he took in her shoulder length black hair and dark skin. The short yellow dress she was wear was torn and dirty from her attempt to escape her attackers. "Are you injured, "Sub-Zero asked and he examined her face, seeing faint bruises, "Why were those men chasing you?"

"I'm….unhurt, thanks to you, "the woman said with an unusual accent, "Are you the one called Sub-Zero?" Suspicion flashed across the warrior's mind as the woman continued, "Princess Kitana spoke of you and other warrior's of Earthrealm. I am Tanya of Edenia, those men were ordered to take me back to Outworld."

"Outworld, "Sub-Zero mumbled tiredly. He went to check his bike, seeing it wasn't badly damaged he got on and said, "Come on, I know a place you can go."

**(Scene Change)**

A pale hand gripped the edge of the desk as he said, "Are you positive it was her?"

Lilith stood emotionlessly before her master and nodded, "There is no doubt. She has changed little since I've last seen her."

"Leave, "Kuravan ordered. Lilith bowed and left the room. Reiko stepped forward and Kuravan stood up. "Tell Kahn I agree to his proposal, "said the Calornian deity, "However, I will require evidence to bring before the council."

Reiko nodded and said, "I will inform the Emperor. With your leave?"

Kuravan waved his hand slightly to show that the messenger had his permission. Reiko also bowed slightly and left to convey Kuravan's words to his lord.

Kuravan tapped his fingers on the desk. 'After all these centuries, you are found to be alive, 'Kuravan thought, 'I will just have to correct that.'

The End…….

Next Time on MK: Echoes of the Past

"That is a private matter, "said Rayden forcibly to Johnny, eyes flashing with sparks of lighting.


	6. Chapter 5: Light Exercise and a Cold Sho...

**Note:** I'm so sorry for the late update. I have a full time job which is going to say "bye-bye" in June, so I'm kinda busy looking for another job. That, have having to literally rewrite this damn thing to make sense and working on my latest sprite komic is taking up a lot of time. BTW Thanks for all the reviews! As for not updating faster, I will try but can't promise until I find another damn job. As for Rayden needing to be more aggressive, I am happy to say that is in the works for this story. In MK: Conquest I had to hold him back since there were rules after all, which Rayden actually believed in. However since a certain emperor broke the rules and basically got away with it…again, I have a feeling the old thundergod will be 'bending' the rules a little more from here on out. Also, all you Subby fans please don't kill me! Sub-Zero is a great fighter, but in this story I'm making him a bit on the young side, a little over confident and his look on the world a bit off center by being raised by the Lin Kuei. At least that's what I'm trying for. (shrugs) Last by not least, I do plan on more fighting as the story goes along. After all this is a story based off of Mortal Kombat.

Chapter Five: Light Exercise and a Cold Shoulder

Althea woke to the unholy sound of chirping birds. With a groan, she opened her eyes and noticed she had fallen asleep on the loveseat. Not the most comfortable of beds in spite of the blanket someone was kind enough to cover her with, but not the worse either. Stretching to get the kinks out, she looked around wondering where everyone was. She then headed towards the dining room, running her fingers through her messed up hair.

In the dining room she found Liu Kang eating a bowl of something. "Morning, "she said as she slid into a chair.

Liu nodded as he swallowed and then said, "Your stuff I over there in the corner and there's a bathroom next to the kitchen if you're interested, "

Althea smiled and said, "Thanks. Any plans for today?"

"Not really, "said Liu, "Only to try to get this place cleaned up so we can get this school open….eventually." The look of interest in Althea's face didn't go unnoticed and Liu had to ask, "Would you be interested in signing up for the school?"

"Well, "said Althea, "My own training was sorta cut short, but I don't know if…." She shrugged.

"How about this, "said Liu, "Go outside and we'll see what you're capable of, after that we can decide whether or not it would be a good idea for you to stay."

Althea laughed slightly and said, "Fair enough, let me get changed and I'll be out there in a few."

**(Scene Change)**

About fifteen minutes later, Liu went outside to see Althea surprisingly dressed in an old fashioned gi. As she warmed up, Liu saw Sub-Zero leaning on the side of the building watching her.

"Sub-Zero, "said Liu as he approached the warrior, "I was wondering if…"

"I would spar with the woman, "said Sub-Zero in an emotionless voice, "as you watched to determine her skill. I don't see why not; I could use some light exercise."

Althea finished her warm-up and walked away from the building to a grassy area without saying a word. After she tightened her pony tail, she went into a sparring stance. Sub-Zero followed her, stood a few feet from and also went into a sparring stance. The only thing to be heard was the sound of the wind as it flew over the grass and rustled the distant trees. All of a sudden, Liu had a feeling that it wasn't such a good idea but mentally pushed that feeling away. Sub-Zero may be cold, but he wouldn't hurt the woman and he was good enough not to do it by accident. Liu then moved so he was a respectful distance away and said, "Ready?...FIGHT!"

Sub-Zero struck first with a few light but fast punches, holding back so not to harm the woman, which Althea easily dodged and even countered. Then when he tried a high kick, she was able to push the kick away such as to use his own momentum to knock him to the ground. Sub-Zero quickly jumped up and had to dodge Althea's own low kick attack. Althea sent a punch at him and he grabbed her arm to twist it around her, but she rolled out of it and once again was able to throw him to the ground. This time when Sub-Zero stood up he looked closer at the woman in front of him.

"Is this enough _light exercise _for you? "Althea asked, "Because I'm getting little bored over here and was wondering when we can get to some real sparring."

By the tone of her voice and the look on Sub-Zero's face, Liu thought it would be wise on his part to step a little further back. The thought was confirmed when Sub-Zero send a blast of ice at the woman. Both the monk and Lin Kuei were surprised when the blast was deflected inches from her as if hitting a wall. "Okay, "she said with a smile, "My turn." She then sent a flare of light blue flame at her opponent. Sub-Zero dodged the flare but it followed and hit him right on the butt.

'Oh crap, 'though Liu as he debated on trying to stop the fight or get farther away from the pair.

"Look, "said Althea almost angrily, "Stop holding back already. I'm a lot stronger than I look." To prove her point, she then went on the attack. Sub-Zero blocked and dodged the barrage of punches and kicks sent his way by the woman. Finally getting the hint, he started to return those kicks and punches.

**(Scene Change)**

"This is not good, "Johnny sighed as he watched the sparring from a patio.

"What's not good?" asked Sonya as she walked onto the patio holding a cup of coffee.

"Just look at them, "said Johnny indicating the sparring match between Sub-Zero and Althea.

Sonya watched a little amazed that the woman could keep up with the ice ninja but not overly so. "She's good, but you've seen good fighters before, "Sonya said and then took a sip of coffee.

"I know, but it makes me feel out of shape or something, "the actor said sadly.

"Well, "said Sonya as she tapped Johnny's bare stomach lightly, "Maybe a little more training and fewer donuts on the set wouldn't hurt."

"Hey!" yelled Johnny as she walked back into the building.

**(Scene Change)**

They weren't the only one's watching the sparring match. On the roof of the oversized ranch house, the god of thunder sat watching with interest and his shields up tight. He noticed that Althea didn't seem to be weakening from the use of her chi as she use to. It was as if she acquired another source of energy. As he considered this, the fighters froze in mid-step and the wind stopped blowing. A woman's voice said, "Someone seems to be in a thoughtful mood. I would think you would be a little more…chipper with her returning and all."

"What do you want?" said Rayden not bothering to look at the woman.

A white haired woman in a gray and white outfit in a similar cut to Rayden's sat down next to him. From behind her scarf, she chuckled and said, "Don't tell me you still mad about that red dragon thingy and me not showing up to reverse things."

"Why are you here? "Rayden demanded with an impatient voice.

"Why are you?" the woman responded with humor still in her crystal blue eyes. This time Rayden did turn to the one that many called 'Lady Tomorrow' and noticed that she was looking in the direction of the fighters. "Do you know how hard it is creating a decent time bubble close to someone with such a powerful yet untrained gift like Althea's? I go through all this trouble to visit and all I get is a cold shoulder."

"What are you talking about? "said Rayden and then once again looked in Althea's direction, "No…."

"Yep, "the woman said, "That fight with what's his face woke up what was a dormant gift. Not really sure if it was the fight or that visit from Kronos during the fight that did it, but its there, awake, strong and untrained."

Rayden closed his eyes and asked, "How dangerous is it?"

The woman shrugged and said, "She most likely knows enough of the basics to keep in under control….under normal circumstances."

The thundergod knew that Althea often finds herself in not so normal circumstance. "What do you recommend?" Rayden finally asked.

The woman gave the thundergod an almost angry look and said, "Hello! Start practicing what you preach and think."

"I know she needs training, "said Rayden, "But who can teach her? No one on Earth has the knowledge and if she went to Calorna there is Kuravan to worry about."

The woman slaps Rayden on the back of the head and says, "You're limiting yourself. Think!"

Rayden frowned as he rubbed the back of his head. The woman sighed and said in a frustrated voice, "I give up. Maybe after your meeting with the Elder Gods you'll figure it out."

"What meeting?" asked Rayden but found himself once again watching the sparring match that was going in full force. Suddenly a pain in his gut as if he got kicked nearly caused Rayden to fall off the building.

**(Scene Change)**

A sudden twinge in the back of her mind caused Althea to be distracted for a split second. A split second in which Sub-Zero was able to land a hard kick to her stomach, knocking the wind out of her. As she fell, Liu yelled, "Stop!"

Sub-Zero was the first one to reach her and as he helped her up he asked, "Are you ok?" Unable to answer, Althea just nodded as she tried to breathe.

As Liu approached the pair a bolt of lighting struck Sub-Zero throwing him away from Althea. As Sub-Zero hit the ground, Rayden appeared holding Althea close to him. Liu stopped walking and only stared in shock at Rayden's flashing eyes glaring at Sub-Zero.

The Lin Kuei warrior stood up with a wince, unsure what really happened. One moment he was helping the strange woman up the next thing he knew he was on the ground in pain with Lord Rayden of all people holding the same woman and glaring at him.

Althea was finally able to breathe. Staring at Rayden she said, "What…do you think you're doing?" Rayden didn't answer just continued glaring at Sub-Zero as if trying to decide to kill him or not. Althea could sense anger and protectiveness from her soulbond. "Hmmm, guys, "she said as she grabbed hold of the thundergods arm, "Maybe you should go for now. Me and Rayden need to talk."

The two men nodded and headed off towards the ranch house. As soon as they were out of earshot, Althea pulled out of Rayden's arm and demanded, "What the hell was that all about!"

Rayden sighed as he calmed down, "When I felt that you have been hurt…"

Althea said, "You decided to come to my rescue. That's nice, but we were only sparring and it was my fault for getting distracted."

Rayden frowned and had to admit to himself that he did go overboard. He had acted without thinking, something that seemed to be a habit of his when it came to Althea. He looked towards the trees in the distance and said, "Like you said, we need to talk."

With a hand in the small of Althea's back, he led her to the small grove of trees. Once there, Rayden and Althea sat down in the shade of one of the trees, without saying a word. Rayden just sat silently, looking in the distance for what seemed like hours. Althea wasn't sure what to say or do. She knew what she wanted to do, but the knowledge of their separation was much longer and painful to him kept her from following through. His actions just a little while ago, spoke volumes but in a language which she really couldn't understand. With Rayden keeping those shields up tight, she wasn't sure what he was feeling.

Rayden took a deep breath and said, "Fujin explained to me what happened." A sad smile crossed the thundergod's face as he continued, "It was the first time we really talked with each other since…."

"I'm so sorry, "said Althea with tears in her voice, "I know there is no way that….."

Althea didn't get the chance to finish that thought. Rayden suddenly grabbed her upper arms to pull her to him and kissed her hard on the mouth. The thundergod's tongue demanded entrance, with a moan she opened her mouth and her hands clenched his blue overshirt. After a few minutes, Althea broke the kiss with a gasp and said, "As much as I'm enjoying this….I don't think this is the place for it."

Rayden nipped the side of her neck and the pulled her closer to him. She went willingly and leaned into his chest with a sigh. Althea smiled and said with her words muffled, "At least I know you're still interested."

Rayden smiled at the comment and for the first time in centuries he felt complete. He then closed his eyes and asked, "What are your plans? Will you stay here at the new school?"

Althea pulled back, turned around and then leaned back into Rayden, this time her back to him and his arms wrapped around her. "That depends, "she answered, "I would like to stay, but will they have me? Especially after your little display back there. To be honest, I really don't have anyplace else to go. And no, I am not going to stay at your place. I'll go stir crazy being stuck and I have yet to figure out my own way there and back."

Rayden smiled and hugged her tightly. "Fair enough, "he said, "but you will need to tell them a little more about yourself and…." The thundergod cut off abruptly and looked around with a frown. Suddenly, he felt like they were being watched.

**(Scene Change)**

Later that night Liu Kang, Sonya Blade and Johnny Cage, sat around the dining room table listening with great interest at what Althea was telling them.

"Another realm?" said Sonya with exasperation, "Just how many realms are there?"

Liu remained quiet, not sure to be stunned or what. This woman knew his ancestor the Great Kung Lao. Not only knew him, but was actually one of his students.

"Ok, "said Johnny, "Let me get this straight. You come from another realm where there you were a mage of some sort. After some war, you left your realm to train under Kung Lao. There you met Rayden and Fujin. You were eventually asked to defend some temple by Fujin and then somehow got sucked into yet another realm over five hundred years later. Am I missing something?"

"Not really, "Althea giving the trio a nervous smile trying to hide the fact that she didn't tell them _everything_. As she heard herself tell the story, even she thought that this was enough for them to swallow for now. No point adding who she was related to, that one of her relations wanted her dead or that unique side effect her chi flames had on gods.

"Oh, what about your relationship with Rayden?" asked Johnny with a grin.

Sonya threw an empty soda can at the actor's head. "That's alright, "said Althea, "I believe…..you would say…..hmmm…..we're seeing each other."

"By seeing each other, "pressed Johnny, "Does that mean…"

A flash of bright light filled the room with a boom thunder. "That is a private matter, "said Rayden forcibly, eyes flashing with sparks of lighting.

Everyone, but Althea nearly jumped out of their seats startled by the thundergod's sudden and loud arrival.

Changing the subject, Liu said, "If you want, you are welcomed to stay here. Having someone familiar with magic and sorcery around will be a big help considering the type of people who have a tendency of showing up around here."

"Well with that settled, "said Sonya in a flat voice, "I have a question for Rayden….How the hell did those crossbow bolts hurt you thunder _god_."

Rayden just glared at the Special Forces agent until he felt Althea's hand on his arm. Taking a deep breath he said, "There are ways to kill a god, even when he has not taken on mortal form. Thousands of years ago, there was a war between gods that crossed realms. During this time, weapons made of a unique metal were created. This metal is one of the few things that could harm an immortal. Since the war all known sources of the ore used to create it have been destroy as was most of the weapons made from it."

As Rayden spoke of this war, Althea felt a flash of pain and guilt from the thundergod. There was more about this war to him at least, than what he was saying.

"So the bolts that hit you last night were made of this metal?" asked Liu.

Rayden shook his head, "Perhaps an alloy with it as one of its components, since I was able to heal so quickly after it was removed. If the bolts were purely from that metal, my injuries wouldn't have healed any faster than if I was mortal."

"So either it's a new metal or someone has limited supplies of the old stuff, "said Sonya, "Wait, you said most of the weapons were destroyed. Does that mean there are still some of those weapons around."

A half-smile appeared on Rayden's face as he said, "I know of only two beings that carry such weapons. Shao Kahn holds a great sword made of the metal and, "Rayden looked towards Althea with a raised eyebrow, "Althea's dual blades are also made of the same material."

Johnny then said, "You mean to tell me you're dating a girl that can kill you?"

Rayden looked at Althea again and with humor in his voice said, "You didn't tell them about your 'gift' did you?"

"Hold it, hold it, hold it, "said Sonya as she turned to also look at Althea, "How the hell did you get those things?"

Althea shrugged and said, "They just appeared when we were fighting a dragon."

"A dragon, "said Johnny with disbelief.

"Actually, it was a woman who fully merged with the black dragon spirit, "said Rayden without blinking.

Without missing a beat, Althea asked, "Was that before or after your evil twin showed up."

"Evil….twin?" asked Sonya.

"After, "said Rayden, "It was just before Taja was nearly forced by that curse to kill Kung Lao."

Suddenly all humor left Althea and she said, "Excuse me." She got up and quickly left the room.

Rayden sensed a wave of grief from the woman, and it took a few seconds to understand what had happened. Then it struck him, she just found out yesterday that Kung Lao and the others were dead. Mentioning of the attempt on Kung Lao, must have reminded her that she would never see them again. Without a word, Rayden got up to follow her.

"Was it something we said?" asked Johnny.

Minutes later, Tanya walked in with a concerned look on her face. "I just saw Althea run by in tears, "she said in her accented voice, "Is something wrong?"

**(Scene Change)  
**  
A beaten and battered Quan Chi laid on the floor at Shinnok's feet. Sitting on Kahn's throne, the fallen Elder God read a report from one of his spies. "It seems I almost owe you an apology socerer, "said Shinnok in an almost kind voice, "Its seems that everyone believed the godslayer was killed. Even Rayden who seems to have some sort of bond with the…._mortal_, thought she had died. I will let you continue with your existence for now, since you are so good at gathering information."

Quan Chi looked up to see Shinnok was leaning forward and looking directly at him with red glowing eyes. "I want you to find out everything about the godslayer. Her history, her strengths, weaknesses….everything."

Quan Chi bowed his head and hissed through the pain, "As you command….Master."

**The End**

Next Time on MK: Echoes of the Past…..

(Johnny Cage talking) "How would you like to be in a movie?"

"That depends, "said Althea, "What's a movie?"


	7. Chapter 6: Angry Words

**Note:** There is such a thing as miracles! I had sudden inspiration and was able to get this chapter written and typed in one day. Okay, I have a little test for you MK fans. I have included an MK character in this chapter that I don't think anyone would normally use in a fanfic; if you find him/her give yourself a pat on the back.

**Chapter 6:** **Angry Words**

Johnny slammed the door as he entered the ranch house and with an angry look flopped down on the couch, mumbling under his breath. A paint splattered Liu Kang watched the actor from atop a ladder. Sonya, who held the ladder in place, gave Johnny a look that said 'Oooookay.'

Liu handed Sonya the paint bucket and jumped down. "What's wrong, "the monk asked. 

Johnny fumed for a few minutes and then said, "What's her name doesn't know a damn think about martial arts and the morons in recruiting didn't even bother to check. We were filming her first fight scene and she nearly got herself killed. So now we need to find someone else for the part since most of the fighting scenes include up close action and stand-ins won't work. What's worse, we don't have much time. Filming is already behind schedule so auditions for the part will be next week and anyone who gets the part must be or close to being a true martial artist. No offense, but there's not that many actresses around that fit the bill and those few are in high demand."

"So what's going to happen now?" asked Sonya.

Johnny shrugged and then suddenly looked at Sonya with a curious look, "Sonya, you wouldn't happen to be interested in…."

"No, "said Sonya flatly, "Even if I was, I couldn't."

Liu smiled at Johnny's disappointed expression as the actor said, "It was only a thought."

The door from the dining room opened as Althea walked into the living room carrying a dusty looking sack. "Great news, "she said not noticing the looks on the trio's faces, "Fujin returned the shield stones I loaned him and I can now…Okay what did I do wrong, "she said noticing that Johnny was looking at her strangely.

"Don't even think of it, "mumble Sonya as Johnny stood up.

"Rayden will have a fit, "warned Liu as Johnny walked past with his most winning smile.

"Huh, guys…what's going on?" asked Althea starting to grow concern.

Johnny continued to smile as he asked Althea, "How would you like to be in a movie?"

"That depends, "said Althea, "What's a movie?"

**(Scene Change)**

For what seemed to be the thousandth time, Althea wondered what the hell did she get talked into. For the past week she had to memorize lines, go to what they called a beauty salon for torturous 'treatments' for her skin and hair and now she was waiting with a handful of other women to audition for a role she really didn't want. To top it off, one of the women gave a snooty look in her direction and sniffed as if she smelled something foul. Althea just ignored her knowing if otherwise, she would end up throwing the bit….actress down the hallway.

Since the auditions started that morning, that particular actress kept cutting down and sending insults the others who were trying out for the part. But for some reason, she started to seriously aim her insults to Althea ever since the test scenes to determine how the actresses looked on the screen.

Mr. Kalhoun, the man leading through the audition, came out of the auditorium door and said, "The following ladies will go in now and sit on stage. If I don't call your name you are free to go."

Everyone in the hall, but Althea and the insulting actress, got a nervous look about them. Mr. Kalhoun flipped a page on his notebook and started to read off, "Catherine Chaste, Susan Elgante, Diana Faust and Althea Magess."

As each of them was called, the four women passed Mr. Kalhoun into the auditorium. Diana Faust once again sniffed loudly seeing that Althea was also selected. "Wonder who she's sleeping with, "Diana said in a loud whisper to be heard only by the four of them. Althea took a deep breath to control her temper since it wouldn't do anyone any good to blast the woman, even though it would mostly likely feel good at the time. No…it would be Johnny who would pay for talking her into this.

Each woman took a seat at the back of the stage, next to a large blue mat. A dark haired man wearing a black and white jump suit sat on the mat, watching them as they sat. Looking into the audience, Althea could see Johnny, his agent and three other men in the front row. A little farther back there were three men, each holding a notepad making a few notes. Mr. Kalhoun then walked in front of the actresses and said, "Ok, in case you didn't know we're here to see how much you actually know about martial arts. Now if you don't know how to fight, I must ask that you leave now."

None of the woman moved or said anything. "Fair enough, "Kalhoun continued and then pointed over his shoulder with his thumb, "That is Morris Kapputti and he's going to be your sparring partner. Just to let you know, he is very good at what he does."

The man in question stood up on the mat and dusted himself off as Kalhoun talked. He then grinned and said, "Call me Mokap, never did like the name Morris."

One of the judges called out from the audience, "Is everything ready?"

Kalhoun looked over the women one more time and then glanced at 'Mokap' before saying, "Yes, Mr. Sanchez." Kalhoun seeing Mr. Sanchez's nod walked off the stage.

"Ms. Elgante, please stand and face Mr. Kapputti, "the judge said.

"Damn it, it's Mokap!"

The young woman stood up, removed her shoes and walked onto the mat. Once there she went into a shabby sparring stance and then nodded to show she was ready. Althea didn't want to watch. It was obvious that the girl may have taken one or two quick lessons from a bad teacher but had no idea how to fight. In just seconds, the poor woman was on the ground, nursing a bruised hip and shoulder. Mokap helped her up with an encouraging smile as the three judges made a few quick notes. "That is enough, Ms. Elgante, "Sanchez said, "You may go. Ms. Magess, you're next."

Althea took a deep cleansing breath as she removed her shoes and walked onto the mat. She went into a flawless stance and then waited. Mokap noticed this and nodded to himself; this was someone who knew at least a little something. He sent a punch her way which she easily dodged and his second punch she blocked without blinking. Mokap frowned, why didn't she counter or at least attack?

"Ms. Magess, "another judge spoke, "If you would please, we need to see offensive moves as well."

One of the agents sitting next to Johnny wondered out loud, "Why doesn't she at least try to hit the guy, even if she…."

"She doesn't want to risk hurting him, "answered Johnny even though the question wasn't aimed at him.

The agent gave Johnny a 'get real' look and then went back to watching what was happening on stage. Johnny then covered his eyes with a single hand after seeing actress at far right mouthed, "Stupid bitch…"

Althea heard Diana Faust say, "Stupid bitch, doesn't even know what's going on." At that moment a mean smile crossed the godslayer's face as she nodded towards Mokap. Her sparring partner shrugged the smile off as he prepared for another round. This time Althea did fight back with a few smart hits to his chest and midrift and even a good kick to his head. Shaking off the last as Althea stood back to give him time to recover, Mokap thought, 'Finally, a girl that can take care of herself!' Mokap grinned and decided to see just how good she was. Without warning he sprinted and then leaped into a flying kick. Moving slightly to the side, Althea dodged and then grabbed Mokap's leg while he was still in the air. Using his own momentum, she hurled him directly at the sitting Diana Faust. The Catherine Chaste screamed and jumped away as Mokap crashed hard into Diana. With a groan, he got up off of Diana Faust and the now destroyed chair. Unconscious and with a bloody nose the Diana Faust was a mess.

"Opps….sorry about that, "said Althea with a voice that didn't sound on bit apologetic.

Everyone in the room was silent but Johnny who mumbled quietly, "You did that on purpose." The agent that was sitting next to the actor looked at Johnny in shock and then back at Althea. Making a decision, he walked hurriedly onto the stage and whispered to Catherine who nodded. In minutes they left the room without saying another word. 

While this was happening, the three judges looked at Althea for a moment, then at Mokap who was still trying to get up and then at each other. Then without further ado they began to madly start taking notes, having to hold them down when an errant breeze threatened to blow the papers across the room.

**(Scene Change)**

Althea threw the script given to her by Mr. Sanchez onto her desk and then tiredly fell face down into her bed. She couldn't believe she got the damn part. Now she had to continue with this stupid movie thing. 'At least I'm going to get paid for it, 'she thought and closed her eyes. Taking in the restful silence, she debated with herself if it was worth it to get up and change or just fall asleep as she was. The khaki pants and white T-shirt Sonya loaned her where now dirty and stiff with dried sweat, but the bed was oh so comfortable.

Just as sleep was about to win, Althea sensed as certain someone right before a flash of light lit up the room. She then heard Rayden's voice say, "I understand you gave quite a show today."

Althea opened one eye to look at the thundergod sitting at her desk. "Don't tell me you were there."

"No, but Fujin was and he was still laughing when he told me about it. Was it really necessary to throw the guy into that woman?"

Althea sat up and said, "No, but it felt good when he landed on the ….Never mind. I need a bath."

After she left with her bathing supplies, Rayden glanced over the script trying to get the gist of the story as he waited. It seemed to be the basic cliché action flick that Johnny was famous for. Suddenly, Rayden's eyes widened and then narrowed as he re-read a certain scene. Sparks of lighting started to flash in his eyes and the rumble of thunder was heard in the background. With the script in hand, Rayden vanished.

Outside on the upstairs patio, Johnny watched as storm clouds quickly covered up the recently clear night sky. Taking a sip of his ice tea, he watch as lighting flickered among the clouds as he sat down. He was then knocked from his chair as a bolt of lighting crashed down across the patio from him. Blinking to get rid of the spots in his eyes, Johnny got up off the floor.

"What the hell is the meaning of this!" demanded Rayden in a thunderous voice as he slammed the opened script into Johnny's chest.

"What are you talking about?" asked Johnny, but when he read the page in which the script was opened to his face paled. He had totally forgotten about the love scene between the hero, played by yours truly, and the heroine, who was now going to be played by Althea.

"Look Rayden, I can explain…"

**(Scene Change)**

Althea was drying her hair with a towel as she returned to her room. The sound of thunder made her wonder just how accurate the so-called 'weatherman' was. Then at the same time she noticed that her script was missing, she felt a sudden surge of anger and jealousy from the unseen deity. "Damn!" she exclaimed as she ran out of the room and down the hall to the patio doors.

"What are you doing!"Althea yelled when she saw that Rayden was holding Johnny up off the ground by his shirt, "Put him down!"

"Have you read the damn script?" Rayden asked as he continued to hold Johnny off the ground.

"Parts of it, "Althe answered, "Why? What does it have to do with you threatening one of your chosen warriors?"

At the words 'chosen warriors,' Rayden growled and released the actor. Johnny landed on his feet and then nervously tried to straighten out his shirt. He had never seen the thundergod so angry before. Rayden picked up the script off the floor and flipped through it until he found the offensive scene once again. "Read this, "he ordered and handed it to her. 

Althea took the script and glanced over the scene. At this time, Liu Kang and Sonya also arrived to check out the commotion. They both remained silent, frozen in place by the angry look on Rayden's face. "Is this what all this is about?" asked Althea as she tossed the script back onto the floor. She then placed her hands on both sides of Rayden's face to make him look directly in her eyes and said, "The scene is to be taken out. That was one of the things I insisted on when signing the contract….No..Love..Scenes. If you want you can check the contract out, I have a copy of it downstairs."

Rayden blinked as the storm clouds broke up to once again to reveal a clear night sky. "Okay, what just happen here? "asked Liu looking at Johnny.

Ignoring them, Rayden took hold of Althea's hands and with an almost sheepish grin, removed them from his face. He held them in his hands as he closed his eyes and said, "My apologizes, Johnny Cage."

"No…problem, "said Johnny nervously, making a mental note to warn everyone at the studio to keep their thoughts and actions clean when it came to Althea or someone was going to get fried.

Before anyone else could speak, Rayden vanished taking Althea with him. Liu and Sonya gave Johnny a look that demanded explanations. The actor sighed and walked into the building.

Unnoticed throughout the emotional scene, Tanya stood under the patio with a thoughtful look on her face.

**(Scene Change)**

"Damn it, Rayden!" said Althea seeing that they were now alone and standing just outside Rayden's home. Rayden didn't say anything but opened the door and with a slight bow indicated she should go on in. Althea went in and noticed a lot has changed since she was here last. The roman couch was replaced by a modern leather sofa, the formerly plaster walls were now paneled with dark wood….She sat down on the sofa and crossed her arms to wait for an explanation.

"Thea please, "said Rayden as he sat down next to her, "I brought you here so we can really talk without being watched or interrupted. For the past week you have been so busy with helping out with the school and preparing for the audition….

Althea calmed down and leaned onto Rayden's upper arm. "You're right and I'm guessing it's just going to get worse until the school opens or the movie gets done. It must be really hard on you, especially since I was gone for so long."

"Don't take all the blame. I know I should trust you and the others, "the thundergod said,"but just the thought of anyone else touching you…."

Althea giggled and said, "Especially since you really haven't had the chance to 'touch' me yourself in a long time. Well except for that kiss under the tree."

Rayden placed his fingers under her chin to make her look up at him. He then leaned forward and when they were just a breath apart…..Rayden felt the Elder Gods summons as did Althea through their completely opened link. Althea cussed in Calornian as Rayden slapped his forehead saying, "Damn!"

**(Scene Change)**

Kuravan listened to Lilith as she reported what all his spies have learned over the past week; the new school being created by the Earthrealm's current Champion, Althea's acceptance into that school, the auditions, Rayden's almost violent behavior and Shinnok's interests in the godslayer. Lilith waited silently after finishing the verbal report, waiting further orders.

The Calornian deity leaned back into his chair and rubbed his bottom lip as he thought. This would be a perfect time to feed false information to Shinnok or Shao Kahn, even both. Rayden's jealous streak could also prove useful. An evil smile cross Kuravan's face as a new way to look at the situation crossed his mind and he saw what he missed before. Now how to use this information? If he was correct about the sorcerer's actions….."Bring me the sorcerer Quan Chi."

**The End…..**

Next Time on MK: Echoes of the Past:

"Damn it! "yelled Johnny from off screen, "That's where you're suppose to fall down!"


	8. Chapter 7: Not What They Seem

**Chapter 7: Not What They Seem **

Quan Chi followed Lilith into the presence of Lord Kuravan. To the sorcerer's surprise, the Calornian deity did not sit on a throne but at a desk. The sound of quill on paper was the only sound in the room as the pair waited to be noticed. Just when Quan Chi's temper was going to get the better of him, the god looked up from his paperwork and told Lilith, "Leave."

The female vampire bowed slightly and closed the door behind her as she left. Kuravan leaned back into his chair and said, "Finally we meet, sorcerer."

Quan Chi growled under his breath and demanded, "Why have I been brought here?"

Kuravan tsked and with a strange smile said, "That's no way to speak to a god."

"I'll speak to you any way I please, "hissed Quan Chi, "You have no dominion over me."

"True, "said the god steepling his fingers, "but as Lilith has proven, there are other ways to deal with you. Also, I seriously doubt you want your master to find out your little secret about a certain…..artifact."

The sorcerer tightened his lips in anger and at the scent of blackmail. "What do you want?" he asked.

**(Scene Change)**

The woman ran down an ally only to find it to be a dead end. Her red and gold dress now torn and dirty, she desperately looked for a way out.

"Lookie, here," came a drunken drawl from a way down the ally, "A little girlie went and got her little self lost."

The fear in the woman's face faded as she discovered it was just some local scum following her and not…..

Another brut leered and said, "Hey girlie, you up for a good time."

She looked around to see that aside from the two that have spoken so far, there were two other just as crudely leering men laughing at what they thought was easy prey. The woman watched as the men surrounded her with their plans written all over their faces. Surprisingly, she grinned and responded, "Depends on how you define a good time."

Then in a blur of motion she punched the first man in the throat and kneed him in the groin. As he fell to the ground, the second grabbed her from behind and then the third one readied to backhand her. While still in the second man's grasp, she jumped and flipped backwards kicking the third man on the way up, then over the man holding her and threw him as she landed. She then did a spinning low kick to knock down the third man and then stomped his head to ensure that he wasn't going to get up. Apparently sensing something, she then did a roundhouse kick in time to hit the fourth man right in the nose. He went down and then woman looked towards the second man, who was barely recovering from the throw. She smiled and said as she sent a hard punch into his face, "I hope you having a good a time as I am."

With a stunned look the second attacker just stood there staring as if the punch never landed. "Damn it!" yelled Johnny from off screen, "That's where you're suppose to fall down!"

"CUT!" yelled the director just as angry as the star. "Everyone take five as we set up for another take!"

Althea shook her head tiredly and tried not to glare too harshly at the moron. Even she, who has never seen a movie in her life, could tell the scene was going great until he decided to leave his brains at home. She walked over and sat on a cloth and wood chair. Grabbing a water bottle, she opened it and took a few gulps. Give her a good fight with a minion of Kahn any day; having to hold back was way harder than giving it her all. She sighed. At least once this scene was done they would be done for the day, early for once, and dare she think it….the weekend. When she started this job, Johnny mentioned that this movie was behind schedule but then yesterday told her that he was amazed by how quickly they caught up. At that thought she snorted. Most likely it was because they didn't have to make as many retakes nor had a spoiled---what are they called. Althea shook her head. Who were insisting on being waited upon hand and foot for just saying a few lines. Although everyone on this movie proved to be hard working, she seen some of the other movie sets where the actors were being treated like minor deities…scratch that…not even a god would demand such worship and brown nosing.

Althea's thoughts were interrupted with the makeup lady came to make sure that all the dirt and smudges were still in place. "Ready on the set!" came an announcement causing her to stand and head back to the set. Half way to the set there was a loud crashing noise behind her. Althea turned to see that one of the huge light fixtures had fallen and crashed on the chair she was sitting on just seconds earlier. Chaos reigned for a few minutes as Johnny forced his way to Althea. Johnny finally reached her and asked, "You ok?"

"Yeah, "answered Althea slightly shocked. She was just sitting there seconds ago.

"People! Calm down!"roared the director through his bullhorn, "No one was hurt but please clear the building. Everyone into the parking lot NOW!"

"For once I agree with him, "said Johnny leading Althea to the sliding doors.

An hour later, a very frustrated Johnny Cage was loudly arguing with a police detective. Althea sighed as she just sat in a chair and listen to the actor's colorful language. The discovery that the fixtures holding the light were melted through led to the obvious conclusion that the accident wasn't an accident. The police wanted to hold everyone, including herself for questioning. This was going to be a loooong day.

**(Scene Change)**

Back at the ranch house, Sub-Zero was perform his katas in the gym. His sparring match with that woman reminded him he has be neglecting his own training for too long. Who was he fooling, Althea was magnificent! _A few punches and a kick to a non-existent foe._ Magnificent but dangerous; not only for her own skills but for the one who already claimed her. _A round-house kick followed by punches._ What was it with his family and dangerous women? First his brother falls for a she-demon and now here he was attracted to a woman who happens to be dating a god. _A blur of kicks and punches._ Or are they? After all Rayden hasn't even been around since he dropped Althea off after that sparring match.

Sub-Zero sensing something, quickly turned and blocked a hard hitting punch. He then dodged a fireball and prepared to return the favor with a ice blast of his own when he saw his attacker back off and say, "You are improving."

Not letting his guard down, Sub-Zero glared at the yellow clad specter and demanded, "What do you want?"

"To give a warning, "said Scorpion with his echoing voice, "I am no longer the only one who has left the Neatherrealm. There are those who seek…." Scorpion broke off and quickly turned his head to the left as if he heard something. Just when Sub-Zero was going to ask what was wrong, the ninja was gone in a poof of fire. The only proof of his ever being there was a slightly scorched mark on the floor.

A frustrated Sub-Zero shook his head and decided now was a good a time as any to quit for the day. He then headed outside for some fresh air and to think about Scorpion's strange actions as the sun set. Looking towards the grove, he was surprised to see Althea walking towards him. Wasn't she supposed to be with Cage today?

He was even more surprised, when she walked right up to him and smiled at him in a sexy way. Placing her hand on his chest, she said in an airy voice, "Is there anything I can help you with?"

The Lin Kuei shook his head slowing, not trusting his suddenly dry mouth to speak. The woman got closer to him and started to slide her hand up and down his torso, with each downward slide going lower and lower. With her face just inches from his, she said, "Are you sure?" Her free hand then grabbed the back of his head as she removed those few inches and kissed him hard on the mouth. Automatically, Sub-Zero wrapped his arms around her to pull her in even closer.

At that moment, Rayden appeared on the patio in a flash a light. He was shocked to see Sub-Zero and Althea in an embrace, kissing. Shock was quickly replaced by jealousy and rage as he vanished.

A bolt of lighting stuck Sub-Zero knocking him away from Althea. He flew across the ground and landed yards away with sparks running across his body. Sub-Zero remained on the ground not moving. The thundergod then appeared to confront Althea, but when he did he was met by a blast of blood-red flame.

Falling to his knees as he felt his powers leave him, he looked up to see Althea slowly walk towards him with blood-red flames in her eyes and a cruel smile on her face. A sudden flash of memory crossed his mind and he said, "Arianna."

The woman's smile grew and she said, "I'm touched, you actually remembered me. And here I thought you didn't care."

"Rayden! Sub-Zero!" yelled Liu Kang as he ran from the ranch house. Arianna turned and send a stream of fire to the champion, which followed him as he tried to dodge. The flame struck hard and knocked him to the ground. Liu quickly recovered and went into a fighting stance.

Rayden also stood while this was going on. He may not have his powers, but that didn't mean he was powerless. Shaking his head to shake off the dizziness the loss of immortality caused him, he prepared to fight.

Seeing this, Arianna said, "Two against one, hmmmm…Guess we'll just have to even those odds."

Out of the now dark sky, Lilith swooped down and stuck Liu on her way in for a landing. With a hiss, she pulled out a pair of kamas and faced the thundergod.

**(Scene Change)**

"I don't believe this, first they keep us there all afternoon and now we can't get on to the set for who knows how long, "Johnny complained as he drove back to the ranch.

Althea just watched the scenery go by as she half ignored him. To be honest, she was happy with the idea of a few days off. Maybe she and Rayden could have some of that much needed time together, if he had time to spare from his duties. Suddenly rage and jealousy flared through her link with the thundergod. Concerned, she lowered her mental shields to try to figure out what was going on. When she felt the shock of Rayden losing his powers, her face paled. "Johnny, "she said, "Can this thing go any faster?"

**(Scene Change)**

Rayden's eyes narrowed as he watched the wing woman approach him. There was something familiar about this vampire. The thought was gone when Arianna ordered with a hatred dripping voice, "Lilith! The thundergod is mine."

Lilith nodded and turned to face Liu Kang instead, but handed over the kamas to Arianna. Skillfully spinning the kamas, Arianna approached Rayden. "Now, "she said, "I'm going to finish what I started all those years ago." At that she swiped at Rayden's the face with one of the kamas. He dodged but was nearly hit by the other one as it sliced through his over shirt. Ignoring this, he struck back with low kick to trip the woman. Arianna easily recovered, jumping back up the second she hit the ground before Rayden could attack again. She then countered with another kama attack, this time bother flying parallel of each other; one aiming for his neck and the other his stomach.

As Arianna and Rayden fought, Lilith and Liu Kang circled each other. Liu wasn't quite sure how to fight something with wings and wondered just how useful they were. Lilith then jumped up, spreading her wings, swooped down onto the monk. Liu dived to the ground to avoid the attack. As he got back up, Lilith returned for another attack. This time Liu jumped up and to the side, grabbed one of her wings by the membrane. Lilith screamed in pain as the monk pulled her down, nearly ripping her wing apart. With clawed fingers, she swiped at the monk's arm to force him to let go. Her claws struck muscle and bone forcing Liu to grab the arm with his other hand as he backed off.

Blood dripped through his fingers as Lilith stood up with her injured wing hanging limply behind her. The vampire then smiled through the pain, showing her fangs and slightly running her tongue across her teeth. The scent of blood reminded her that she had yet to feed that night. The blood of a Mortal Kombat champion would be a rare treat indeed. Distracted by these thoughts, she didn't notice a groggy Sub-Zero forcing himself to his feet and the blast of cold took her by surprise, encasing her in ice.

The sound of crackling ice caused the fake Althea to glance briefly towards her partner. This short distraction was enough to give Rayden the opening he was waiting for. With the palm of this hand, he struck with his full strength into the woman's chest knocking her across the ground and breaking her ribs. Fighting the pain she sat up with one arm hugging her chest as she glared at Rayden with flashing eyes.

"Why?" asked Liu still believing her to be Althea, "Why did you attack us?"

The ice encasing Lilith then exploded forcing the men to cover their head as rock hard ice shards flew everywhere. The vampire dived for Arianna and the portal that opened just behind her. Right after they fell in, the portal closed with a soft pop.

"What is going on?" asked Liu, "Why did Althea do it?"

**(Scene Change)**

Kuravan watched as his priests tended the injured Lilith. Without blood, it would take days for her injuries to heal. Fortunately, some fool of a thief tried to rob one of his temples and would pay for that crime by providing what Lilith needed. The vampire has proven her worth and loyalty more than once over the centuries of service to him. Kuravan was wise enough to reward both in spite of an occasional failure.

There was however, another that has yet to prove either. With that in mind he turned to the now fully recovered Arianna. "Do you care to explain, "he said in a emotionless voice, "how you and Lilith were so easily defeated?"

Without fear or hesitation, she answered, "They were stronger than expected. Even as a mortal, Rayden is a skilled warrior. The ice ninja also recovered faster than expected and before either the champion or Rayden were defeated, thus we were outnumbered. Neither myself or Lilith have had the kind of training needed to fight such warriors in that situation."

Kuravan frowned, but couldn't fault her reasoning. Lilith was always better suited for shadow work and Arianna had only limited training thus depending on half remember skills that she acquired from Althea. From that point of view, he reassessed the conflict and then smiled. They did extremely well all things considered, with some real training Arianna would be a force to be reckoned with…a force he controls.

**The End**

Next time on MK: Echoes of the Past….

"Girl, "said a white haired woman, "You have no idea how many rules you have just broken."


	9. Chapter 8: Unexpected Free Time

**Note: **Huh…those of you who caught my little mistake in the chapter earlier….please don't tell anyone else….please….. Just finished correcting it.

Chapter Eight: Unexpected Free Time

The SUV and Hummer both drove up the drive and parked next to the ranch house. Althea jumped out of the car before it was fully stopped and ran into the house.

"What's going on?" asked Sonya.

Johnny shrugged and went to follow Althea. As soon as he walked in the door, the actor was nearly hit by a blast of ice. "Hey!" yelled Johnny.

Sub-Zero just continued glaring at Althea as if she was Shao Kahn himself. "What happened? Why did you attack me?" Althea demanded.

The Lin Kuei just remained silent as the room temperature noticeable dropped and frost built up once again on his hands. The silence was broken by the clicking of a gun.

"I suggest you back off and explain," said Sonya as she aimed her gun directly at Sub-Zero.

"Enough!" said Rayden as he walked in from the dining room, his clothes still torn and dirty from the fight, "It was not her who attacked us earlier."

"Huh, if it helps…Althea was with me on the movie set all day today, "offered Johnny.

Sub-Zero blinked and then backed down from his aggressive stance. Seeing this Sonya released a breath and holstered her pistol.

"Now that's resolved, how the hell did you end up mortal this time?" said Althea giving Rayden a sarcastic look.

**(Scene Change)**

Later in the converted attic, Sonya opened the windows to the night sky as Althea prepared to activate the shield stones. As Althea focused onto the keystone, Sonya could see the faint shimmer of a hexagonal shaped domed form over the ranch house. At first the shimmer was bluish in color, but eventually faded to a silvery gray.

"That's strange, "Althea said with a confused look on her face.

"Something wrong?"

"Well, I should be feeling some sort of drain but I'm not, "said Althea.

"That's good right…. wait then what's powering that thing?"

Althea looked at the stone with eyes that glowed slightly. "Oh crap," she finally said and then ran to the window to look at the actual shields.

"Girl, "said a white haired woman, "You have no idea how many rules you have just broken."

**(Scene Change)**

Sub-Zero stood in the living room's doorway to the drive as he watched the shields go up, trying to ignore the slight muscle twitches he still felt from the earlier hit. Rayden, wearing a borrowed white T-shirt and jeans, sat on the recliner frowning. For some reason he didn't feel that the shield was such a good idea. But with Johnny taking Liu to the doctor for his arm, Tanya gone searching for Kitana, and not to mention his own…. condition, the added defenses were necessary precaution.

"Stop right there!" yelled Sonya from upstairs. A familiar white haired woman wearing black jeans and jacket with a gray shirt came downs the stairs. She plopped on to the sofa as if she owned the place and crossed her arms angrily. Her crystal blue eyes flashing over her dark scarf, she mumbled incoherently with a "Damn you Rayden" being the only thing understandable.

Sonya came down with Althea not far behind. Althea stayed at the foot of the stairs as the other woman walked up to the 'stranger' and pointed a gun straight at her face. "Who are you and what are you doing here?" demanded Sonya.

The white haired woman raised an eyebrow and said, "Go ahead and try to shoot. It's not like it's gonna work anyway."

"Sonya "said Rayden with a calming voice as he stood and walked over to take her gun, "She's not a danger."

The white haired woman gave Rayden a funny look as if saying 'That's what you think.'

Sub-Zero remained at the doorway and watched what was happening with a detached air. He then closed the door and leaned against it trying not to winch as weight was placed on his electric burns. There was something familiar about this strange woman, but he couldn't quite place it.

"Why are you here?" asked Rayden looking down at the white haired woman.

"Don't ask me, "the white haired woman said and pointed to Althea, "Ask her, she's the one who pulled me into this mess."

Rayden looked at Althea for a moment and through his link with her he could sense concern, nervousness and guilt. "What happened?" he asked Althea.

With a nervous expression Althea answered, "Hmmm…. somehow I sorta created…. we're kinda stuck in a giant time bubble."

"We're trapped in a what?" asked Sonya.

Rayden sat back down on the recliner, rubbing the space between his eyebrows. He was definitely starting to get a headache. As Rayden did this, Sub-Zero opened the door again and walked out. A few minutes later he returned to say, "Everything outside of the shields seems to be frozen; trees frozen in mid-sway, a car on the road, even a cat running across the drive."

"I could try removing the shields. That should…"Althea started.

"No! "Interrupted the white haired woman with a forceful voice, "Just 'popping the bubble' with cause a temporal whirlpool and cause total havoc with the current time stream."

"If you're such an expert, why don't you fix the problem?" said Sonya

"That is enough, Sonya, "said Rayden tiredly.

"Actually, "said the mysterious woman, "I am already working on it. However, it will take time…. from our point of view anyway."

**(Scene Change)**

Rayden was lying on Althea's bed trying not to fall asleep. Losing the battle, his eyes closed as he lightly dozed. That was how Althea found him as she entered her room. With a half-smile she noticed how he somehow took over the entire bed and then when to the closest to pull out a spare pillow and some blankets. She unfolded one the blankets and covered the thundergod. As she gently moved a strand of his long gray hair from his face, his hand reached up to grab her hand to pull her onto the bed. "Thought you were asleep, "Althea said with a light laugh.

Rayden smiled, saying nothing. The fact that he was alone with Althea in her room with some unexpected 'free time' gave him a pleasant thought to consider. He sat up on the bed to look down at the woman now lying next to him. At the intense look in the thundergod's eyes she thought as she reached up for him, 'About damn time.'

A loud knocking at the door broke the moment. Rayden fell back on the bed with a groan, mentally cursing fate as Althea got up off the bed with a growl. She opened the door and said, "What!"

Slightly taken back by Althea's tone, Sonya said with hesitation, "Have you seen Rayden? I've looked all over for him and…"

Althea moved to the side and with an exaggerated arm movement signaled for Sonya to enter to the room. The Special Forces agent walked in and seeing Rayden said, "Where the hell have you been?"

"Where else would I be, "said Rayden, "It's not like any of us can leave."

Then it dawned on Sonya what she might have interrupted. "Excuse me for being concerned, "she said with mild sarcasm, "I leave you two lovebirds alone."

She then left the room and closed door firmly behind her. Ignoring Althea's muffled laughter that made its way through the door, Sonya walked down the hall to the stairs. In the living room, Sonya found that the mysterious woman was sitting in the recliner reading some book with Sub-Zero watching her from the sofa as if trying to figure her out. A quiet thump from the ceiling made Sonya sigh as she headed to the dining room.Sub-Zero continued to intently watch the woman in the recliner as she read. She turned a page and said, "Do you know how uncomfortable it is trying to read while someone is staring at you?"

"Who are you?" asked Sub-Zero.

The woman sighed and said, "Call me Lady Tomorrow if you need a name. It's good enough for gods; it should be good enough for you. Anything more will just make my job almost impossible."

"Are you related to Althea in some way? "Sub-Zero continued to force the issue.

The woman frowned from behind her scarf and asked, "What makes you ask that?"

"Your voice is similar to hers and you two share similar physical characteristics, "he started, "You also seem to have a similar ability with time as she does."

The woman stared at Sub-Zero for a few seconds without blinking and her eyes flickered with a light-blue flame. A strange foggy feeling entered the Lin Kuei's mind. As the mental fog lifted, Sub-Zero shook his head slightly.

"Do you know how uncomfortable it is trying to read while someone is staring at you?" said the woman as she turned a page.

Sub-Zero frowned, there was something he was going to ask her but he couldn't remember what. Maybe he wasn't as recovered from that blast as he thought. With that in mind, he stood up without a word and headed upstairs to get some rest in his room. The white haired woman watched him go and once Sub-Zero was out of sight, she sighed as if in relief.

**(Scene Change)**

"You need a bigger bed, "said Rayden as he stroked Althea's bare back.

"I'll keep that in mind, "Althea replied as she listened to the thundergod's heartbeat. Rubbing his chin on her head, Rayden breathed in her scent. He knew they should get off the floor, but he was just so relaxed he didn't want to move. Althea then reached up and over to grab the blanket hanging off the side of the bed. Pulling it over them she yawned. "Uh Rayden, "she said after a few minutes.

"Hmmm."

"As much as I hate to say this but I do need someone to teach me to control this time gift, "said Althea, "I thought it would be the same as when I had my old gifts, but its not."

"You are not going to Calorna, "said Rayden in a voice that wanted no argument.

"I know, I know, "said Althea, "Even if I could go…it's been over 500 years since I've been there. For all I know, the Conclave no longer exists. But I do need someone to teach me."

Rayden thought about what she said and had no choice but to agree. Even 'Lady Tomorrow' has been pushing him to find Althea a teacher. There was no one in his domains that had the necessary skills. Perhaps I am limiting myself by thinking only of mortals…Lady Tomorrow or perhaps a time god would be able to teach her. No, not Lady Tomorrow, but it won't hurt to ask…. perhaps a time god? Doubt it, the only time god that would have the nerve to teach a godslayer would be….'Oh no, 'thought Rayden with a mental groan.

**(Scene Change)**

What seems like hours later, Sonya was sitting at the dining room table drinking some iced tea. It was strange, any light still turn on remained on even if you tried to turn it off and any light that was turned off could not be turned on. There wasn't any water from the faucets but the refrigerator's icemaker worked fine. It was also so quiet it was nerve racking. The door opened and the white haired woman entered. "Mine if I join you?" she asked from behind her scarf.

"Not like I can stop you, "answered Sonya with a slightly angry tone.

The strange woman sat down across from Sonya and chuckled. "Hey, don't get mad at me. Its kinda your fault you and Johnny aren't doing the same thing Althea and Rayden are right now."

Sonya glared at the white hair woman and through clenched teeth said, "You have no idea what you are talking about."

"Don't I, "said the woman, "Let's see…you and Johnny meet at the tournament. Just when things start to get hot and heavy between the two of you, he gets killed during the Outworld invasion saving your life. He's back among the living and has been for over a year, but you two haven't has much gone on a date since. I know part of the problem is your respective careers, but you two could have least at lunch together since you moved here. I know Johnny's asked but you always made excuses."

"Who do you think you are?" Sonya hissed and stood up.

"Someone trying to make things right, "the woman said seriously. "Are you afraid of getting hurt again? Two great loves in your life both died violent deaths in front of you…. must have hurt."

"You don't know what you're…"

"Yes I do, "said the woman this time with cold anger in her voice, "I know what it's like to see a loved one suffer greatly, even die, and not being able to do a damn thing about it. Unlike you I don't let it scare me to the point that I refuse to open my heart. Give Johnny a chance."

Sonya looked away as the crystal blue eyes bore down on her with an intense look. "Why should I give that self-centered, egotistical…."

"Don't forget cute, "added the white haired woman, "You also know that self-centered and egotistical doesn't really describe Johnny anymore. Otherwise, why would he help out with this school or not as concerned with his public image as he use to?"

Sonya then turned to glare at the white haired woman for a few moments and finally said, "Ok I'll give Johnny a chance. Just get me out of this time thing of yours."

The strange woman shrugged and then vanished. "What the…."said Sonya but then noticed the ticking sounds of the wall clock.

**The End…**

The cloaked figure stood and bowed deeply to Shinnok before leaving. Flashes of yellow could be seen from under the cloak as the figure walked off.


	10. Chapter 9: Spies and Thieves

**Note: **Sorry it took so long and this being such a short chapter. 

Chapter Nine: Spies and Thieves

A cloaked figure knelt before the fallen Elder God. Silently Shinnok considered the implications of this one's latest report. It seems that someone else is seeking Rayden's demise and using Quan Chi's old creation to do so. Who was the duplicate working for now? Has she truly been resurrected or is she like one of the sorcerer's slaves, almost demon but not truly alive?

The kneeling figure shifted slightly bringing the spy once again to Shinnok's attention, reminding him of the rest of the report. Earthrealm's champion has been injured and is now vulnerable in more ways than one, a possible kink in the defenses of that realm if used correctly. "Go, "ordered Shinnok, "Befriend the human and make yourself invaluable to him. Continue to observe and report to me any other information you might find to be of interest for me."

The cloaked figure stood and bowed deeply before leaving. Flashes of yellow could be seen from under the cloak as the figure walked off.

**(Scene Change)**

Johnny sat in the condo's living room flipping through channels. He hated being bored, but the doctor said it was important that someone keep an eye on Liu until the medicine wore off. The injuries were worse than anyone had expected. Not only were the gashes bone deep, but it seemed that the creature that did it had poisoned claws. The medicine that the doctor gave Liu to fight off the toxin made the monk groggy and mentally not all there.

With a sigh he turned off the television and threw the remote on to the coffee table. He got up and looked through his collection of movies and video games. Nothing really struck his interest. Instead he turned on the radio and went to check on Liu one more time. He was considering going over possible scripts for his next project when the phone rang. "Hello, "said Johnny as he picked up. He started to smile when he heard what the front desk was telling him. "Let her on up, "he said with a look of relief on his face, finally someone to talk with.

In a few minutes, his doorbell rang. When he opened it, he said, "Tanya! Thank God you're here."

**(Scene Change)**

Sitting at the den's desk, Althea was writing in her journal when the phone rang. She picked it up, "Heyo!...Hey Johnny, how's Liu?...Damn, that bad……You need any help……Tanya? I thought she was looking for Kitana…"

Sonya walked into the room, curious as to who was calling. Althea placed her hand over the mouthpiece and whispered, "Johnny." Once again talking on the phone, Althea said, "Huh? You want to talk to Sonya?"

The woman in question nodded when she saw Althea's inquiring look. "Sure, "Althea said, "She's right here." Althea then handed Sonya the phone.

"Blade speaking, "Sonya said.

'Oh oh, 'Althea thought, 'please, please don't tell her you're the same as alone with….'

"What's this about Tanya?" Sonya asked.

Althea quietly closed her journal and wisely left the room. Once in the living room she took a deep breath of relief to have made her escape. Last thing she wanted to be was in a room with a jealous and pissed off Sonya Blade. Althea smiled and thought, 'I have enough of that with Rayden.' The blonde sighed as she tossed the journal onto the coffee table and sat down on the couch. Rayden left as soon as he regained his powers saying something about finding her a teacher. She had hoped to spend time with the thundergod while filming was on hold. On top of that she didn't dare work on any of the more unconventional defenses because of what happened with the shield stones. Sub-Zero took off on that bike of his without a word and now Sonya was upstairs giving Johnny the third degree over the phone so she didn't have any sparring partners.

The door suddenly flew open and a gust of wind flew throughout the room bringing with it leaves and dust. Fujin appeared in a spin and said, "I'm baaaaaack!"

A single eyebrow rose as Althea asked, "Is that suppose to be a good thing?"

Fujin placed a hand over his heart and said, "I'm hurt. Didn't Rayden meet up with his normal standards as a mortal last night?"

"Watch it, windbag, "said Althea with false anger and then with a smile asked, "What brings you back? I thought you would be busy catching up on your duties."

Fujin plopped down next to the woman and said with a shrug, "Yeah, but I thought I take some time off and visit an old friend."

Althea's eyes closed slightly as her suspensions rose. "Rayden asked you to keep an eye on me, didn't he?"

"Humm, well, "Fujin tried to answer, feeling more uncomfortable by the second, "He found out about that near miss at the studio and after what happened last night…."

"I don't need a babysitter, "said Althea in a heated tone, "You can go tell that idiot brother of yours…."

"Althea, please, "said Fujin, "He's only afraid you'll end up disappearing again or worse. Just give him time to let it sink in that you're not going anywhere."

As Althea was about to reply, Sonya entered the room cussing under her breath, something about Johnny, men in general, and some painful sounding positions.

"Hey, beautiful, "Fujin said to Sonya with a grin. Althea covered her eyes when Sonya glared at the Wind God and said, "What the hell are you doing here?"

Fujin stretched and said, "Just wondering how the US Army's loveliest officer was doing today."

**(Scene Change)**

Johnny slowly placed the phone down as if would exploded. Slowly he walked away from it wondering what the hell that was all about. Why was Sonya acting so…. jealous? "No, couldn't be, "said Johnny outloud, "Could it?"

A loud crashing sound from Liu's room broke Johnny from his musings. The actor ran to the bedroom and when he opened the door, he saw Tanya wrestling with a man dress from head to foot in black. Johnny grabbed the intruder's shoulder and turned him around and away from Tanya. Johnny saw the gray glowing eyes and he landed a punch to the face. The assassin melted away into nothing. "Are you alright? "Johnny asked Tanya as he looked over the half-awake monk.

Tanya nodded and said, "I am uninjured and it seems that Liu Kang was his target. He was already here when I came to check on the monk's bandages."

"That's just great, "said Johnny as he pulled a still drugged out Liu Kang into a sitting position. "Get me his clothes, "ordered Johnny, "It's too dangerous to stay here."

**(Scene Change)**

Rayden entered the temple ruins, once again debating with himself if this was the right choice. True, Althea needed someone to teach her how to control that timegift of hers, but was the Elder God of Time truly the right choice?

The thundergod frowned as he knelt down before the seven altars. Kronos was the ONLY choice. He couldn't even find Earthrealm's time god and there were no other true magic users on Earth that even came close to having the skills needed to teach her.

A slight flare of frustration came through his link with the woman to join his own. That broke the dark mood he was in and he nearly smiled at the picture of Althea's reaction when she found out that Fujin was there to keep an eye on her. Enough musings, time to request an audience with the Elder God of…

"Please stand, Lord Rayden, "came the tired voice of Kronos, "I already know why you are here."

Rayden did as requested, noting that the room did not change as it normally did. When he saw the Elder God, he was struck almost speechless. Complete exhaustion was written over the Elder God's face. Kronos smiled and said, "I know I look bad, but I hoped it wasn't that bad."

"What's happened?" asked Rayden.

"None of your concern, "sighed Kronos as he looked up and closed his eyes, "But back to the godslayer's little problem. Unfortunately, presently I am unable to assist with her training. However, I will partially seal away that gift until I am able train her properly."

"A _partial_ seal?" asked Rayden, ignoring the fact that an Elder God volunteered to train a mortal.

"Yes a partial seal, one that will enable her to continue using time as a power source for her chi but will help prevent more accidents, "answered Kronos. The Elder God held out his hand and a small flat piece of silver about the size of a half-dollar appeared. "Place this on her bloodline emblem and the seal will do the rest."

Rayden took the seal, feeling there was something the Elder God wasn't telling him. Past experience has taught him that gifts from an Elder God often if not always had a price. Who would pay the price of this gift and what would it be?

As if sensing Rayden's thoughts, Kronos spoke, "This is not from an Elder God, but from a concerned relative."

'Yeah, right, 'the thundergod thought and his hand closed over the seal.

**(Scene Change)**

Late that night in New York City, a security guard made his rounds past the eastern art displays. His flashlight passing over a blood red medallion in the shape of a dragon as he checked looked around before returning to his rounds. With a sound of a quiet thump, the guard went down after being knocked out. The thief quickly went to the glass encased medallion display, paying no mind to the already disabled cameras. He stood their silently for a few seconds until a tell tale sound of the alarm systems being turned off could be heard in the completely silent room. The thief then forced the case open and almost reverently picked up the red dragon medallion with both hands.

Another thief appeared at the end of the hall waving his hands to hurry his partner. The first thief nodded as he placed the medallion in a case tied to his waist and joined his partner as they left the building.

Behind the museum, a dark van drove up to pick them up. The van door slide open and without a word the two men jumped in. The door slammed shut as the van drove off. "Any problems, "said the man in the front passenger seat.

"None what so ever, boss, "said the first thief as he unhooked the case from his belt and carefully handed it over to his superior. As the man took the case, a passing street light reveal the face of Mavado.

**The End….**

Next Time on MK: Echoes of the Past:

Once out of sight of the building, the elder professor stood up straighter and grew younger. His clothes morphed from the dark brown suit and wrinkled tie to that of bright red and bronze trimmed robes of a sorcerer. Shang Tsung smiled as a portal opened before him.


	11. Chapter 10: Premonition

**Chapter Ten: Premonition**

Mavado smiled as he once again took the medallion in his hands. For years he had searched for the legendary heirloom and then sudden it appeared on display, literally down the road from his office. He leaned back in his office chair and he turned the medallion over to examine the engravings that could be the key to releasing its supposed power. A knock at the door interrupted his musings. He placed the medallion on his desk and said, "Enter."

An elderly man in an old fashion dark brown suit and messy black/gray hair entered the office. Rolling his hands in excitement, the old man said, "Is that it?"

"Yes, Professor, "answered Mavado as he slid the medallion in the professor's direction. The scholar went to pick it up but hesitated, "May I?"

Mavado nodded and with shaky hands the professor lifted the artifact from the desk. "Oh my, "he whispers as he examined the writings, "Yes, almost definitely genuine."

"How long will it take for you to confirm that this is in fact the Red Dragon medallion and to translate the writing?" asked the crime lord.

"No long, not long at all, "said the excitable old man, "Actually translating the language will no doubt prove whether or not this is the artifact you seek."

Mavado then reached over his desk to take back the medallion, "Photos of the medallion and writings will be made available to you by this evening."

The professor blinked slightly, just noticing he no longer held the artifact and that he was given the same as a dismissal. "Of ccccourse, "he stammered, "I'll be waiting." He bowed slightly and left the office, closing the door after him.

The scholar made his way past unseen guards, and into the parking lot. Once out of sight of the building, the elderly professor stood up straighter and grew younger. His clothes morphed from the dark brown suit and wrinkled tie to that of red and bronze trimmed robes of a sorcerer. Shang Tsung smiled as a portal opened before him.

**(Scene Change)**

The two blonde women circled around each other tying to find an opening in her opponent's defenses. Sonya struck with a quick punch and then a low kick. Althea blocked both and responded with a punch of her own which Sonya dodged.

"How long have they been at it?" asked Johnny after watching them for a few minutes. A still pale Liu Kang shrugged and said, "About ten…fifteen minutes."

A sudden barrage of punches and kicks from Sonya drew their attention as Althea struggled to keep up blocking and dodging. Johnny couldn't help but notice how Sonya's now sweaty green shirt and shorts were sticking to her in spite of the gym's air conditioning.

"Careful, "said Liu, "A certain someone may take you drooling at them the wrong way."

"Huh?" said Johnny not taking his eyes off of the women. He winced when Althea was able to get a good hit in to Sonya's mid section. Liu clapped his hands and yelled out, "That's enough, good match!"

Althea fell to the floor mat as Sonya bent over panting as she placed her hands on her knees. Both women were covered in sweat and exhausted from the workout. Liu picked up some towels and two water bottles from the floor as he headed in their direction.

"Thanks, "said Sonya as she took one of the bottles and a towel. Althea sat up on the floor to take the other bottle and towel as Johnny walked over. "Sonya, "the actor said, "Jax called and wants you to call him back when you get a chance. I left the number by the phone."

After taking a long swallow of water, Sonya nodded and left the gym. Filling a chill in the air Liu turned to Johnny and asked, "What did you do this time?"

**(Scene Change)**

Sonya hung up the phone with a concern look. Being called back to DC so soon didn't bode well for the project. She turned to leave the den/office and saw Tanya walk pass the open door. Sonya frowned…something about the Edenian made her nervous. She couldn't put her finger on why, but she really didn't trust Tanya. Then again it could just be that she didn't trust Johnny with the exotic woman.

Sonya continued thinking as she made her way to the stairs in the living room. After that discussion with that what's-her-face, Sonya had to admit she was at least attracted to Johnny. But did Johnny really share those feelings? Walking up the stairs, flashes of news articles with some actress or model draped on Johnny's arm kept flashing in front of her mind's eye. "Men!" said Sonya out loud as frustration set in.

"Hope you're only referring to the mortal kind, "said Fujin from the top of the stairs.

Tiredly Sonya asked, "What do you want?"

Fujin shrugged and stepped aside to let Sonya pass and as she started walking down the hall he asked, "How about a date?"

"What!" said Sonya turning to face the wind god.

Unnoticed by Sonya, Johnny was now at the foot of the stairs listening in to the conversation. He was looking for Sonya to try to find out why she was so angry with him, but what he just heard froze him in his tracks. Fujin…asking Sonya for a date?

"You know…dinner perhaps a movie or some dancing, "Fujin said with a mischievous smile.

"Thanks, but no thanks, "answered Sonya sounding a little uncomfortable, "I'm….kinda busy." She then headed to her room.

Fujin yelled after her, "A rain check then!"

Johnny climbed the stairs and glared at the wind god. Fujin just waved at the actor and said, "See ya!" A strong swirl of wind and Fujin was gone.

**(Scene Change) **

Althea sat on the floor of her room, eyes closed and breathing deeply. Clearing her mind, she attempted to meditate. It's been years since she attempted to follow this aspect of Kung Lao's training but she felt a deep need for the calming effects of meditative state. Just when she reached the proper mental state, images raced across her mind. Althea struggled free herself from the spell. She fell backwards onto the ground as she broke herself out of the trance. Sitting back up, she wiped the sweat from her forehead and mumbled. "What the hell was that?"

"You alright?" said Rayden, sitting on the edge of her bed.

Startled, Althea exclaimed, "Damn it, Rayden!"

Rayden frowned. She was one of the few mortals he couldn't sneak up on due to their bond and normallyshe was not this jumpy. With a determined voice he asked, "What's wrong?"

Scooting over so she could use the side of her bed as a back support, she sighed. "No idea, "she answered, "I've just been having this strange feeling that something bad is going on. Tried to fight it by meditating, but then I sudden got these images….Anyways, where have you been?"

Rayden was about to answer when the sound of a truck's horn interrupted. Instead he stood up and looked out the window to see a cargo truck pull up the drive.

**(Scene Change) **

Liu signed thedelivery forms as Althea started to pull the one of the crates open with a crowbar. The truck drove off as she started to pull out straw and other packing materials out. "I don't believe this, "she said as she pulled out a small truck with strange markings on it.

"What is it?" asked Liu wondering as he also looking in as saw an envelope with Chinese writing on it stapled on the inside wall of the crate. He ripped the envelope off and opened it.

"This is one of my old trunks from when I was studying under Kung Lao, "she said placing it on the ground to continue digging in the crate.

Liu took a letter from the envelope and started to read. "Says here; the monks had your stuff in the temple library since you disappeared and they decided to return your stuff when they heard you were back. Seems, that one of the priests back then didn't really believe you actually died and stored your stuff away. There's also some of my stuff as well in there and some things they thought we might be able to use for the school."

Liu folded up the letter and put it in his pocked. He then reached over to try to pull some stuff out when Althea snapped, "Don't you dare! You'll reopen those gashes on your arm if you lift anything heavy with it. Go get Johnny and Sonya to help while I get started here."

Liu Kang was about to ignore her when someone grabbed his shoulder and pulled him away from the crate. Liu turned when the hand release him and said, "I can…oh, hi Rayden."

Rayden just gave the champion a strange look that made Liu feel guilty for some reason. "I'll go find the others, "the monk said as he backed away from the thundergod and then went inside the ranch house.

**(Scene Change)**

Althea was placing the last of her scrolls on one of the shelves in the den/office when Johnny carried in another chest and dropped it on the desk with a thump. "Here's the last of your stuff, "he huffed, "What the hell is in that thing, it weighs a ton."

Althea looked at the truck trying to remember what was in it. "Not sure, "she admitted, "It's been years and we kinda packed those things in a hurry. I was just going through them when…Let's just open it already."

Johnny laughed and opened to chest to see……leather? He took it out of the chest and it unfolded itself. How the hell could leather remain in such good shape stuck in a small trunk for so long? "I don't believe it, "said Althea as she pulled out a larger piece and unfolded to be a pair of pants, "Crazy servants, they packed my old battlemage armor." Seeing Johnny studying the stuff, bending as if trying to figure out something, she smiled and continued, "On Calorna we….they have a way to treat leather once so that it doesn't stiffen up or rot with age, unless it gets completely soaked…..Wonder if it still fits?"

"You actually wore this heavy stuff?"

"Its better then getting a stray arrow stuck in your…..back, and it's not that heavy once you get it on, "said Althea folding the leather up again and returning it to the trunk with a sad sigh. At one time she was proud to wear the armor, but the memories of wearing them during the Calornian god war tarnished that pride.

"Why not take it upstairs and try it on?" suggested Johnny.

Althea shook her head, "No, it…"

"Come on, "said Johnny.

"No, "she said more firmly and closing the trunk.

"Bet Rayden would love to see you in leather, "Johnny grinned.

"Johnny, "said Althea coldly, "I suggest you go help Liu and Sonya with the rest of the delivery."

Johnny held up both hands as if in surrender and left the room. Althea blew at a strand of hair in her face as she went to pick up the trunk. 'Damn, 'she thought, 'This is heavier than I remember.' She dropped it back down on the desk and reopened it. She pulled out the leather to see if there might be anything else in the trunk that she could leave here.

Rayden appeared behind her and said nothing as he picked up a long flap of dark blue leather. "Don't even think of it thundergod,"Althea said as she reached the bottom of the trunk finding the steel portions of the armor. 'No wonder it was heavy, 'she thought as she pulled them out to examine the dents and scratches, 'I rarely wore the steel, unless heavy conflict was expected.'

The shine of the steel, reminded Rayden of the seal given to him by Kronos. "Thea, I spoke with Kronos…..He said he will see to your training when he has time and until then…"

"A seal of some sort, "Althea concluded, "I understand, but that may not be a good idea."

"Oh?"

"Doesn't matter," she shook her head as she said, "Not like we have much of a choice. I think that this time gift is starting to affect me even when I'm not trying to use my chi. Those images I saw while meditating….."

"What did you see?"

Althea looked away from Rayden, not sure if she should tell him. Sensing her unease, Rayden placed his hands on her shoulders and said, "If you don't want to you don't have to tell me, but it might help."

"There were five scenes….the first one had you wearing armor and holding a bloody hammer. You were….so angry that you…."

A never forgotten memory flashed across Rayden's mind. He tried to send comforting feelings through their link as he said, "That was a long time ago, part of my past that haunts me to this day but the past all the same."

Althea nodded and continued, "The second one was a man wearing black and red. He looked kinda like you, but he had black hair with gray streaks and wearing black and red. He was standing in front of an altar with three heads on it. The next one was Quan Chi, I believe, running from something and holding a medallion or disk of some sort. Then there was a giant male version of what Jola was walking past a bunch of kneeling corpses and last a hooded figure holding that same disk up as darkness exploded from it."

Rayden didn't hear a word of what she said after the description of the man next to the altar. One name crossed his mind: Shinnok.

**The End….**

Next Time on MK: Echoes of the Past:

Outside, Lilith smiled as she sensed the monk's restlessness. "Come, "she whispered as she lifted a clawed hand, "Come to me, Liu Kang."


	12. Chapter 11: New Tricks

**Chapter Eleven:** **New Tricks**

"What the hell is that?" asked Althea seeing an installer working behind a big screen TV.

Johnny, who was happily flipping through a guide, answered, "A TV and since there is no cable this far out of town, a satellite dish is also being installed."

Liu shook his head slightly and had to ask, "Why do we need this?"

"All work and no play, "said Johnny with a smile, "We all need something to do around here aside from training and working on the place."

A mean look crossed Althea's face as she mused out loud, "Wonder how long this stuff is gonna last with Rayden popping in and out?"

Liu sputtered as he tried to keep from laughing out loud at Johnny's look of dismay. Althea continued musing, "You do remember what happened to that stereo?"

The actor gave Althea a dirty look and replied, "Rayden did that on purpose….I seriously doubt that the song, 'God of Thunder,' is one of his all time favorites."

"Especially with Sonya singing along with it as she was, "added Liu Kang.

**(Scene Change)**

Sonya checked her watch for the fifth time as she waited to reach her destination…wherever that was. She was picked up at the airport by two men in dark suits and sunglasses, with written orders by her commanding officer to go with them. The black car she was escorted to had such dark tinted windows, she was unable to see outside. If it wasn't for the fact that she was allowed to keep her gun and cell phone, she would have been nervous. Instead, she was just getting extremely impatient. After what seemed to be hours, the car finally stopped and a few seconds later the door opened to reveal an underground parking lot.

"Please follow me, Lt. Blade, "said one of the men. He then turned and headed towards an elevator door. Minutes later, Sonya handed over her gun and took a visitor badge from another dark suited man behind a desk. She was then escorted to an office, where she found Jax already waiting.

"Hey, Sonya, "greeted Jax after the door closed, leaving them alone, "They got you too, huh?"

Sonya sat down in the empty chair in front of the large desk without saying a word. She crossed her arms and waited in silence.

Jax chuckled and thought, 'Same ol' Sonya.'

The door then opened and a man in an army uniform entered. On his lapels, he bore the general's stars but no name tag. Both Sonya and Jax, stood up at attention as the general walked around and sat down behind his desk. He then indicated the pair should sit down as he opened the file he had carried in with him. As he placed the folder on the desk, black and white pictures of Sub-Zero and Althea sparring slide out from between pages of a typed report.

The general then steepled his fingers over the folder and said, "I assume you are wondering why you have been summoned her and where 'here' is. The nature of your proposed project is not the stuff which can normally be brought before congress for funding. However, a certain amount of funding is set aside for so called 'black projects' and that is where we come in. I will be honest with you, when I first read your proposal I was skeptical however seeing the people you are already….working with, you have peaked our interest. Tell me of these two and the one that can shoot electricity."

Mentally, both Jax and Sonya thought the same thing, 'Ooooohhhh, crap."

**(Scene Change)**

A faint outline of a winged figure could be seen flying across the moonless night. Soundlessly, she landed on the dark patio and then listened to the silence to ensure that no one had noticed her arrival.

In his room, Liu Kang started tossing and turning in his sleep. Unknowingly, he gripped his partially healed arm as if it suddenly pained him.

Outside, Lilith smiled as she sensed the monk's restlessness. "Come, "she whispered as she lifted a clawed hand, "Come to me, Liu Kang."

Liu Kang's eyes flew open but were glazed and unseeing. He sat up and threw off the covers.

"Come to me, Liu Kang, "Lilith commanded once again.

Liu stood up, left his room and walked in a trance-like state down the hall to the patio doors.

Downstairs, Johnny Cage was crashed out on the living room couch in front of the TV. Earlier, someone was kind enough to turn off the big screen and place a blanket over the actor as he slept. That same blanket was kicked off as he started scratching madly and woke up. "Damn, "he whispered as he continued scratching. To him, it felt that his skin was itching from the inside and it just wouldn't stop. He stood up, still scratching, and went upstairs thinking it might be a good idea to take a shower before heading off to a real bed. On the second floor, he saw Liu walking in a daze to the patio doors.

"You ok, Liu?" Johnny asked with some concern, which grew when the monk didn't answer. The actor hurried to catch up with his friend and just reached him as Liu stepped out through patio doors. Johnny grabbed Liu's shoulder and said, "Dude, are you awake?"

A hissing sound and a swiping claw was his answer, but not from Liu. Johnny was just able to push Liu out of the way as he dodged. Liu fell to the patio floor and remain there unmoving. Johnny dodged again as he sensed the yet unseen attacker strike again. He rolled out of the way and was finally able to get a good look at the creature. "A gargoyle?" he asked. For some reason, his mind flashed back to a cartoon he watched that afternoon.

Lilith growled as if insulted and jumped up in a spinning kick. Something came over Johnny and it was as if everything was moving slower than it actually was. He was able to easily dodge the attack and sent in his own counter attack knocking Lilith over the patio's guard rails. She opened her wings and flew up into the night sky. For a moment, Johnny thought she was retreating but that soon changed as she turned and went into a dive straight towards him. Johnny's fist started to glow a light green as he said, "Oh no you don't!"

Instinctively, he threw a punch into the air as if giving someone an uppercut and a light green glowing ball flew towards Lilith striking her directly in the face. She was knocked up and over in the air. She was able to regain control flight before falling. Lilith glared at Johnny with red glowing eyes for a few seconds and then flew off into the night.

"How the hell did I do that?" asked a stunned Johnny as he looked down at his now normal looking hand.

"I have an idea, "said Althea in her pajamas kneeling down next to Liu Kang, "but first let's take care of poor Liu here."

A little later in the dining room, Althea placed two mugs of coffee in front of the two men and then sat down herself behind hers. Liu slowly lifted his mug and took a sip with a grimace. Johnny just ignored his coffee and continued to look at his hand.

Rubbing her forehead Althea asked, "Could one of you please tell me how that started? I just got there when Johnny was giving Lilith a going away present."

"I'm no sure, "answered Liu, "All I remember was someone calling my name and I couldn't…no didn't want to resist."

They both turned to Johnny who wasn't listening. "Johnny!" said Liu punching him lightly in the arm.

"Huh!" the actor said, "Oh, sorry about that. What were you saying?"

"What happened?" asked Althea trying not to lose her patience.

Johnny scratched his head thinking and then said, "I woke up itching like hell and decided to go upstairs for a shower. Once I got upstairs, I saw Liu waking like a zombie and figured he might be walking in his sleep or something. I followed him outside and found…whatever it was and fought it."

"Liu," said Althea with a thoughtful look, "Let me see your arm." After looking over the half healed gashes, she shook her head not seeing or sensing anything unusual about them. "Maybe Lilith learned a new trick or two, "she thought out loud releasing the arm. "How are you feeling now?"

"Still a little dazed, but aside from that ok,"answered Liu.The mage then turned her attention to Johnny and gave him an amused look, "Looks like I'm going to have to teach someone chi control, Mr. Cage. How long have you been able to summon your chi like that?"

"I dunno, "Johnny shrugged, "That's the first time I ever done anything like that….wait….there was that time at the tournament when I was fighting Scorpion. Somehow I was able to 'push myself' into a portal after him after I started a flying kick. I didn't think nothing of it since that whole trip was weird."

Althea tapped a finger on the table for a few seconds, thinking. She then sighed and closed her eyes as she said, "It's seems as if you have it under instinctive control for right now, but you will have to be trained. Fortunately, one thing I do know is chi energy."

**(Scene Change)**

Kuravan continued writing after Lilith concluded her report. As he signed the paper, he said, "So aside from the clown's interference the experiment was a complete success." Lilith remained silent as her master folded and then sealed the letter with melted wax. "See to it that our….friends receive this. If they have any questions in regards to the…test, feel free to answer them….honestly." He handed the letter to the vampire, who took it with a bow and then left the room.

"So this Johnny Cage is able to use chi energy," comment Arianna as she leaned against a bookshelf. The Calornian god turned to look at _his_ godslayer. He couldn't help but be amused by how she tried to differentiate herself from the original. Arianna's hair was back to its true black color but now cut short and spiked. She wore a leather/chain mail vest and a black leather skirt. Her kamas were tied securely at her belt. Silver bands bearing Kuravan's symbol graced her otherwise bare upper arms. Her steel tipped boots tapped slightly with impatience.

"Yes, "Kuravan answered her, "but that shouldn't be too surprising. After all, most if not all so-called chosen warriors either have a gift or talent that makes them worthy of being chosen."

Arianna nodded in understanding and then asked, "Then what 'talents' or 'gifts' do Rayden's other chosen posses?"

**(Scene Change)**

"Tell me again about this….Rayman, "said the tired looking general.

Sonya blew a strand of hair out her face and said, "His name is Rayden. He is the God of Thunder and Lighting as well as the Sworn Protector of Earthrealm. We have no control of when or where he'll show up next, but he is the one that has provided us with warnings and information in the past. Before you ask again, the woman is Althea. She is a mage originally from a realm called Calorna but now calls Earth her home. She is a magic user and martial artist that is staying at the ranch to see about becoming either a student or teacher. Way things are looking, most likely a teacher. Frosty there, is called Sub-Zero a former Lin Kuei assassin. But he fought along side us during the Outworld invasion and has proved trustworthy during the invasion and since. We are presently trying to convince him in becoming a teacher as well."

The general then looked at Jax who said, "I never met this Althea, but as for Rayden and Sub-Zero I with Sonya on this one hundred percent."

A knock on the door interrupted the eight hour….interview. A dark suited man opened the door and entered. He then walked over to the general and whispered something in his ear.

"Here? Now?" the general whispered loudly.

"Yes, General, "

The general sighed and then said, "You two stay here. I'm not done with you yet."

Sonya and Jax stood up at attention as the general stood and left the room, following the dark suited man. Once the door was closed they sat back down and Jax groaned, "How much longer is this going to go on?"

**(Scene Change)**

The general marched down the hallway as a man in a white lab coat rushed to catch up with a stream of paper following him. "General, "the technician said trying to show him the paper, "From what our instruments are showing, they are telling the truth."

"Or the truth as they see it, "the general growled, "Keep an eye on them while I'm away. Tell me if they do anything interesting while their alone."

"Yes, Sir! "said the tech and he then rushed back to his observation room.

The general continued down the hall as he straightened his tie and combed his fingers through his graying hair. Reaching a conference room door, he knocked and then entered.

"Mr. Anubis, what do we owe the honor of…"

The chair at the head of the conference table turned to reveal the Elder God of Shadows in a black three piece business suit and silk black tie. "Cut the chit-chat, soldier, "Mr. Anubis said in a cold voice, "Why are you still questioning Sonya Blade and Jackson Briggs?"

The general started to sweat a little and tried to hide his surprise as he answered, "Trying to reach the truth in regards to….."

"They have already told you the truth, "said Mr. Anubis as he leaned back into the car, his fingers touching one another, "You just refuse to hear or see it. As did your predecessor I believe when they warned of the impending Outworld invasion."

"A god of thunder?"

Mr. Anubis laughed slighted and said, "I'm surprised they didn't mention the god of wind, Fujin, that's been popping up at their place recently. Guess you didn't ask the right questions?"

The general was about to say something when Mr. Anubis stopped him with a cold stare and saying, "I highly recommend you let those two continue with their work. With or without funding on your part, they will continue. It is their….calling after all. Funding just makes it….easier."

**(Scene Change)**

The Elder Gods of Light, Time and Water stood in a dark room discussing the ongoing situation.

"Is it wise for Brother Shadow to interfere as He has been doing?" asked the Elder Goddess of Water.

"No more or less than My handiwork of late, "answered Kronos, "Besides its interesting to see the same Elder God Who was so against interference at one time, doing it so well."

"Speaking of Your handiwork, Kronos, "said the Elder God of Light, "You are aware what will most likely happen if and when that seal of Yours fails?"

Kronos smiled and said, "Actually, that's what I'm hoping for."

**The End….**

Next time on MK: Echoes of the Past….

The explosion shook the ground, as Sub-Zero fought to stay standing. Out of the flames, the red cyber walked unscathed.

**Note: **For those few of you that might not know, there is actually a song by KISS called 'God of Thunder' and if you ever heard it you might understand why a real thundergod may not like it. As for the Elder God of Shadows being so different from when he appeared in Mortal Kombat: Conquest….lets just say he's mellowed out some in the past 5 to 6 centuries and for good reason which I may or may not touch upon at a later time.


	13. Chapter 12: Where There is Smoke

**Chapter Twelve: Where There is Smoke….**

Sub-zero sat on his bike as he sipped his milkshake and thought. It has been days since he left the ranch house, needing some serious time alone after being fooled by that Arianna woman. The Lin Kuei warrior was still mentally kicking himself over how he acted like a lovesick teenager.

The traffic whizzed by as he considered his options; he could stay at the ranch house and teach or continue wondering alone. The school would be a secure place to sleep knowing there were others around and did have comforts that the road just didn't have, but the danger of being in one place too long and there was the freedom of the open road which he had acquired a taste for. Sub-zero frowned as he tossed his empty glass into a parking lot trash bin as he had to admit that so far the only dangers he has experienced recently have been from Althea's and Rayden's past, not his and they were relatively easy fought off. As for the freedom of the road….there was nothing to prevent him from experiencing when he wanted or needed it if he stayed at the school.

Sub-zero started his bike and put on his helmet. With a few revs of the motor as he waited for an open space in the traffic and he then was off down the darkening highway. As he drove off, from behind the fast food restaurant a red and black sports bike pulled out whose rider seemed to be wearing specially designed red riding armor and helmet. The rider drove through the parking lot and down the highway to follow Sub-zero.

**(Scene Change)**

As he drove up the driveway, Sub-zero noticed that the ranch house was completely dark and both cars were gone. As he parked his bike, he finally saw a light from around the house. He walked around the building to see Althea sitting at the picnic table, wiping excess oil from one of her swords. Its mate was on the table already gleaming brightly with a slight sheen of fresh oil.

"Hey, Sub-zero, "Althea said without even looking away from her work, "In case you're wondering Sonya got called to what she called DC and the guys went to town pick up a few things."

Sub-zero nodded as he sat down at the table across from her to watch her tend to her gear in silence. After a few minutes, she placed the sword and rag on the table. Opening a jar of lanolin, picked up her leather harness and dipped a fresh rag into the jar. As she rubbed in the lanolin into the leather, she said, "You know how uncomfortable it is to be stared at while working?"

A sense of déjà vu came over Sub-zero and a brief thought of how similar the white haired woman was to Althea crossed his mind. A sudden fog clouded that thought to the point that he no longer even knew what he was thinking about. Sub-zero shook his head slightly in an attempt to clear his mind.

As the Lin Kuei tried to clear his thoughts, Althea suddenly turned to look into the direction of the wooded area. She then put down the harness and rag to pick up both her swords with a serious look on her face.

Seeing this, Sub-zero asked, "Something wrong?"

Althea nodded, "Someone is watching us from those trees. Someone who is not suppose to be here."

Not bothering to ask how she knew this, Sub-zero followed her lead as she headed towards the trees in a defensive manner. A slight layer a frost built up on his lower arms and hands as he prepared for combat. When they got about halfway to the trees a light flashed from among them and then a high pitch rumbling sound grew as two small missiles raced out from behind the trees. Sub-zero and Althea ran in opposite directions to avoid being hit but the both missiles followed Althea as she ran.

Recognizing what they were, Sub-Zero yelled, "They're heatseekers!"

Althea getting the idea, threw her swords into the ground blade first so that they stood up. She then sent a concentrated blast of light-blue flame straight to where the missiles originally came from. Both missiles followed the chi blast into the trees and detonated. The explosion shook the ground, as Sub-Zero fought to stay standing. Out of the flames, the red cyber walked unscathed.

"Sektor, "Sub-zero hissed as Althea reclaimed her swords from the ground.

"Friend of yours?" asked Althea.

"No."

A robotic voice spoke clearly over the roar of the flames, "Resistance is futile. You will be annihilated."

"Stay out of this, "Sub-zero said to Althea, "This is my fight."

Althea frowned and was about to say something along the lines of how crazy that sounded, but one look at Sub-zero's face made her change her mind. She of all people knew that sometimes one must fight their enemy alone. The battlemage stepped back, respecting the fact that this time it was Sub-zero that needed to fight.

As soon as she was far enough away, Sub-Zero sent a blast of ice to the red cyber, freezing it in its tracks. Not wasting any time, Sub-Zero then ran to the frozen cyborg and summoned his kori blade. He lifted his icy broadsword to slice through his frozen foe, but before the blow landed the cyber broke free of the ice with the sound of shattering glass. A red energy blade flew up to deflect the ice sword and a red, armored hand grabbed Sub-zero by the throat and lifted him off the ground. The Lin Kuei reached up with his free hand and froze Sektor's hand. He then placed his feet on the cyber's chest and kicked off, sliding out of the grasp and knocking the cyber over.

As Althea watched the fight, she sensed another disturbance in the light shield she placed around the property. She turned in the direction of the disturbance, just in time to see a flickering net flying straight towards her. Althea quickly brought up one of her swords straight up in front of her. The net was sliced into two pieces, each flew pass her harmlessly. A dark gray cyber stood in the smoke of the still burning trees. In a deeper robotic voice it said, "Godslayer Althea, you will come with us or die."

"Like hell I am, "she said and sent a blast of chi through her sword straight at the new enemy. He just stood there as the light blue flames hit him, without leaving a mark. Smoke then returned fire with an energized net. Apparently, not expecting her chi blast to fail, Althea was unable to escape the net a second time. She fell to the ground with a small sound of pain escaping her throat. Smoke walked over to his captured prey only to be met with a good two feet of steel cutting into his chest. Althea looked up from her 'prison' of electrified netting holding the sword as she twisted it in the metal of his chest. Oil started spurting as the cyber began to stumble slightly backwards more in confusion than pain, Althea's sword sliding out as he did so.

Althea pulled off the net and said, "You really don't know much about me, do you?"

She twirled both her swords once and then went on the attack. Smoke, even with his cybernetic speed, was hard press to dodge the twin, chi enhanced blade, blurred attacks of Althea's swords. A slice appeared on his right upper arm and then another on his left thigh. He knew if given a chance, those strange blades could literally slice him into pieces. A split second opening appeared in Althea's ongoing attack, the one in which he was patiently waiting for. He lifted his arm and from his wrist, sent a blast a black smoke directly into the woman's face. Althea dropped both her swords and with one hand to her throat fell to knees with her other hand holding herself up as she struggled to breath. Smoke aimed his arm at her again, preparing to send another blast of the smoke when something struck him from behind, going completely through him and hooked him in front at the hole in his chest. With a loud, "Get over here!" he was pulled backwards away from Althea.

'Damn!' Sub-zero thought when he saw Althea fighting the other cyber, but had his own hands full with Sektor. After seeing how Althea was nearly slicing Smoke piece by piece, he figured she could handle the gray cyber on her own. It wasn't until he heard the "Get over here!" did he turn to see Althea struggling to breath. That one second of distraction nearly enabled Sektor to slice of Sub-zero's head with his red energy blade. Fortunately, Sub-zero heard the sizzle-hiss of the blade as he sliced through the air and ducked in time. He then counter with his own blade straight into Sektor's midriff and before the cyber could even move, Sub-zero drove his sword sideways out of the cyborg's body leaving behind a gaping hole. Sektor then started to stumble as Sub-zero in one fluid motion spinned and sliced into the other side of Sektor's midriff completing cutting the cyborg in two. The two pieces fell to the ground and squirted oil as Sub-zero ran to Althea's aid.

The battlemage was just starting to recover from smoke when she felt Sub-zero gently holder her arm asking her if she could stand. Still feeling week, she clumsily stood up, leaving her swords on the ground. The sound of metal cutting through metal rung through the air as both Sub-zero and Althea turned to see Smoke fall to the ground revealing the yellow clad specter holding a sword parallel to the ground. "You both need more practice, "was all that Scorpion said as he then vanished in a puff of smoke filled fire.

**(Scene Change)**

Kahn's fist hit the wall leaving a cracked crater. The Lin Kuei Master bowed in respect to the Emperor's anger. "There is no forgiveness in the failure of the warriors we sent after the traitor and godslayer, "the Master said, "They will be severely disciplined."

Shao Kahn turned and growled, "I suggest you leave." Once again the Master bowed and quickly left the room. Reiko stepped forward and asked, "Master, why did you hire the Lin Kuei?"

Kahn's mood suddenly changed from rage to that of great satisfaction, "They were a mere test. I had to see if the so-called 'godslayer' was as good as the reports stated. There is no point in stealing a weak weapon."

Quan Chi's voice entered the Emperor's private chambers, "Perhaps I can be of some assistance."

Both Kahn and Reiko turned to see Quan Chi confidently walk into the room. "For a price, I am able to tell you ALL you need to know about that particular _weapon_."

(**Scene Change)**

Shinnok laughed slightly over, in his opinion, humorous report of the attack. Seems that his youngest son had his own plans in regards to Earthrealm's warriors, it would do his heart proud…if he had one. The humor left the fallen Elder God's face as he finished reading the report. It wasn't what was in the report that made him lose his humor, but what was missing. Where was Rayden when his soulmate was attacked and in obvious distress? Past reports of his over protectiveness of the woman, dictated that the thundergod should have appeared at the first hint of danger to his beloved.

"Noob!" Shinnok yelled and his highest ranked shadow warrior appeared before him. The shadowy specter kneeled before his master with gray eyes that glowed with more cold intellect than others of his kind. "Find out where Rayden is and follow him, "ordered Shinnok, "Do not attack, only observe for now."

As Shinnok gave his orders, what appeared to be a Shadow Priest walked past the wide doors of the throne room. The priest floated down the hallway in a fast but unhurried pace, with the hood of its robe preventing anyone from seeing who he was. As he turned the corner a sudden flare up of one of the touches caused by a bit of contamination in the oil revealed Rayden's worried lined face.

**The End….**

Next Time on MK: Echoes of the Past…

With a dragon's roar, the red medallion shattered...


	14. Chapter 13: There is Fire

**Chapter Thirteen: …There is Fire**

Mavado read over what the professor discovered about the medallion. Aside from a translation of the engraved script and confirmation that it was in fact the long lost heirloom, there wasn't much. The script itself was only a warning against awakening the power of the red dragon. There was nothing on how to use this so called power. The crime lord closed the folder angrily and pushed it away. He then pulled open on of the desk's drawers to pull out the current source of his frustration. Holding the medallion of the red dragon in his hands, he considered letting the old man access to his family's historical archives as he admired the medallion's almost blood red sheen. Mavado almost smiled when he once again felt the slight tingle wherever the artifact touched his skin, proof that there was power.

A slight knock interrupted his thoughts. "Enter, " he ordered as he placed the artifact on the desk.

The door open to reveal one of his long time subordinates. "Sir, "he said, "We found Kabal. He is presently hiding in the warehouse district."

"Excellent, "Mavado smiled cruelly, "Prepare my car. I'm going to take care of this little problem…. personally."

"Yes Sir! "The man said and held the door open for his employer.

Once the door closed silently behind them, the medallion glowed slightly with a faint growl. A few minutes later, the door opened again and the same subordinate entered the room. As the door closed, his features began to melt and in seconds it was Shang Tsung that stood in the crime lord's office. Almost affectionately, he stroked the medallion as he said, "Soon you will have the revenge you so desire."

**(Scene Change)**

A private jet flew through the night sky from Los Angeles to New York. One of the passengers held on with white knuckles as she watched the clouds pass beneath them. Johnny couldn't help but grin at the sight. The woman, who faced down angry gods and cybernetic assassins without flinching, was afraid of flying. Surprisingly, it was Sub-Zero who said, "Nothing is going to happen, so calm down."

At that moment the jet started to buck around widely as turbulence struck. When it stopped both Johnny and Sub-Zero were as pale as Althea was.

"You should see the look on your faces, "said Fujin appearing across from Althea. The woman glared at the wind god with eyes flashing with light-blue flame.

"Sorry, "said Fujin with a half shrug. "Anyways, what happened at the ranch house? Your backyard looks like a war zone."

Johnny sighed and said, "The same thing that always happens, only with a few more fireworks this time."

"Sektor and Smoke, "answered Sub-Zero, "They attacked the other night, we fought back."

"I figured it was a good idea to get Althea and Sub-Zero out of there before the local cops started asking questions, "Johnny continued, "So we're heading to New York to film some on location scenes for the movie with Sub-Zero being Althea's 'bodyguard.'"

Both Sub-Zero and Althea gave Johnny an ugly look at that last comment which the actor ignored as he continued, "By the way, where were you and Rayden when all of this was happening?"

**(Scene Change)**

Quan Chi was in his lair, working on a new potion when he heard, "Why do I allow your continued existence sorcerer?"

He calmly placed the bottle he was holding on the worktable and then turned to face Shinnok. The sorcerer bowed deeply and replied, "Is there something troubling…."

Quan Chi's reply was cut off by Shinnok's grip around his throat. With a growl filled voice, Shinnok said, "DO NOT TOY WITH ME! I know you have met with Kahn in regards to the godslayer."

"My lord, "Quan Chi was able to gasped past the iron grip of the fallen Elder God, "Is he not your trusted and loyal son?"

Shinnok threw the sorcerer across the room with a roar. Quan Chi crashed into a set of shelves filled with bottles of potions and poisons. As he hit the ground the shattered containers released their brews. They dripped on to the sorcerer as he struggled to get up. The fallen Elder God slowly made his way to Quan Chi, his eyes growing more and more enraged by the second.

"Master, "came a whispering voice as one of Shinnok's shadow warriors melted into place, kneeling before his lord, "Rayden has been seen in Outworld, heading to one of the portals."

"What!" said Shinnok, changing his focus from Quan Chi to the kneeling warrior, "Find him! This time don't hesitate to kill the traitor."

What Shinnok did not see, was Quan Chi's smirk of satisfaction. 'Everything was going as planned, 'he thought.

**(Scene Change)**

"Stop fidgeting, "said Johnny sitting on the hotel room's couch, trying to watch TV, "It's starting to drive me crazy."

"Something doesn't feel right, "said Althea as she paced in the dining area.

They moment they had landed early that morning, Sub-Zero said something about a personal matter and then vanished into a cab. Johnny and Althea were now waiting for a call from the studio, telling them when to show up for the filming. When the phone finally did ring, Althea jumped. Johnny picked up the phone and gave the woman a strange look.

As he spoke on the phone a brief news report about a museum break in and the still missing artifact appeared on the TV. When the image of the medallion appeared on the screen, Althea said, "No freaking way."

She grabbed the remote and slid into the couch, flipping through channels in the hopes of finding another report of the incident. Unfortunately, it seemed that a museum robbery was not considered news worthy enough.

**(Scene Change)**

A bloody, tired and pleased Mavado sat down behind his desk and he tossed a pair of hook swords on it. Soon the upstart Black Dragon will nothing more than a fading memory. A growl seemed to fill the room. The crime lord frowned as he looked around the room looking for the source of the sound. He stood and picked up the swords in case an attack of evident. The medallion started to shake and the growling grew louder.

**(Scene Change)**

"What are you doing?" asked Johnny as he hung up the phone.

"Trying to find some more info on that museum break in, "said Althea as she flipped through a stack of newspapers, "At least get a good, up close picture of the stolen artifact."

"What are you talking about?"

**(Scene Change)**

Cracks started to appear on the medallion as it shook, and red light started to break through the cracks. Mavado, seeing this, quickly and calmly left the room his trench coat flying slightly behind him. With a dragon's roar, the medallion shattered and chaos took control of the office.

The crime lord barely made it outside and was thrown by the blast as the building exploded. He turned as he got up to see a pair of dark red, bat-like wings appear from the flames and rubble. The wind shifted, causing the flames and smoke to move to the side, revealing an almost T-Rex like head with horns and bright yellow eyes that held a reflection of Mavado surrounded by flames.

**(Scene Change)**

Fujin suddenly appeared in the hotel room without his usual warning breeze. "We have got to get you two out of here now!" he said in an uncharacteristically serious voice.

"What?" said Johnny with a frustrated look, "First Althea's acting all weird and now you?"

Althea didn't say a word as she walked to the balcony windows as if drawn to them. In the distance she could see a tower of smoke rising and then something flew out of that smoke. Her eyes widen briefly and she ran into her room. Fujin noticed her actions and yelled in her direction, "Don't even think of fighting that thing!"

Althea just ignored him as she returned carrying a long narrow case and placing it on the coffee table.

"That better not be what I think it is, "said Johnny. When Althea opened the case, revealing her swords and harness, he sighed, "How the hell did you get those past airport security?"

"What security?" she said off handedly and then pulled on the harness, verifying that the swords slid easily from their sheaths.

"You are not…."started Fujin but stopped when Althea summoned a ball of light-blue flame in her upturned, open palm and gave the wind god a cold look.

**(Scene Change)**

Kurtis Stryker couldn't believe what was happening. A dragon was flying through Times Square and in between skyscrapers as if it was looking for something. He and the other riot cops had their hands full trying to get the panicked mob to safety. The monster then flew right over their heads, forcing most of the crowd to fall to the ground.

Suddenly it flew straight up and turned to hover, looking over the cowering crowd. "A chossssen, "it growled loudly just before it dived directly to Stryker. The officer brought up his riot shield just as the creature's claws struck, knocking him hard to the ground. On of the claws pierced the shield and as the dragon flew off, it threatened to drag Stryker along with him until he was able to release his arm from it. The dragon flew up for another pass, tossing the shield aside.

"I'll try to lead it away!" Stryker yelled, hoping that at least one of his fellow officers would hear him and then started running; tossing what riot gear he could as he went. The dragon took the bait and followed with flames starting to flicker around its mouth as it readied to blast the one with the familiar stench of a certain thundergod about his soul.

Stryker zigzagged through parked cars as the ground shook as the cars around him started to explode after being hit by balls of dragon fire. Then when a car closer than the rest exploded, Stryker was knocked down. 'This is it, 'he thought as he turned to see a fireball coming in right at him.

The dragon roared in rage when the fireball was deflected as if hitting an invisible wall. Sensing danger, it dove to the side avoid a large blast of light-blue flame. The monster saw another chosen, helping his prey stand and a little ways from them was…. HER! "GODSLAYER!" the red dragon roared; shattering glass in nearby buildings, vehicles and neon signs. 

Althea drew her swords as the dragon went into another dive. Eyes flashing, she readied herself for the attack. The dragon opened its mouth as it approached and Althea raised her shields expecting another blast of fire. She held her swords parallel to each other and the ground ready to strike as soon as the beast got close enough. Instead of flame, the dragon sent a blast a dark, choking smoke blinding everyone. When the smoke cleared, the dragon was nowhere in sight.

**(Scene Change)**

From an alleyway, Mavado watched with interest as the woman sheathed her swords. Whoever she was, she would bear watching.

**(Scene Change)**

"Now, "said Stryker, "I have an idea who he is, but who the hell are you and you better have a permit for those things?"

"You must be Kurtis Stryker, "said Johnny trying to calm things down, "Sonya mentioned…"

A crash of thunder and in a blinding flash of light, an extremely angry Rayden appeared. The way the thunder god was glaring at Althea made Johnny say to Stryker as he backed away, "You might want to step back some… this could get ugly."

"WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING!" demanded the God of Thunder.

**The End…**

Next time on MK: Echoes of the Past….

"I hate you, "said Stryker looking directly at Sonya.


	15. Chapter 14: Attack of the Brotherhood

**Chapter Fourteen:** **Attack of the Brotherhood**

"What do you mean by what was I thinking!" Althea yelled back, "I was saving one of your chosen. Where the hell were you? And don't you dare give me any 'mortal matter' crap. That dragon isn't exactly mortal."

"Guys, "Johnny said trying to interrupt, "I don't think that this is a good place or time for this."

"You promised you wouldn't take any more unnecessary risks, "said Rayden ignoring the actor.

"That thing was about to toast…"

A shrill whistle broke through the argument. Everyone looked at the source, Kurtis Stryker. "Look, I'm grateful you saved my butt, Miss, "the officer said, "But unless you want to end up on the evening news, I suggest leaving."

"Ohhh, crap, "groaned Johnny seeing the first of the news vans weaving through the wrecked and smothering cars, "Here they come and sounds like they brought a copter too."

At that moment, a black unmarked helicopter dropped down right in front of them, blocking their view of the van. A side door slid open and there stood Sonya Blade in full military fatigues. She yelled, "Get on! All of you!"

"Yes, ma'am!"said Johnny with a grin as he ran hunched over to the helicopter. Stryker followed but Althea just stood there glaring at the machine.

"Oh no, "she exclaimed, "There is no way you are getting me on that thing. Hey! Put me down!"

The thundergod had picked Althea up and calmly carried the struggling woman to the helicopter. He tossed her in and said, "I'll catch up later." With a flash of light he was gone. Sonya slammed the door closed before Althea had a chance to jump out and yelled to the pilot, "Take us up!"

**(Scene Change)**

"You let him escape!" roared Shinnok and then forced himself to calm down to think. No doubt, like the good little godling he is Rayden will report what he knows to the Elder Gods. Shinnok glared back down at the two kneeling warriors and ordered, "Notify your brethren to prepare. We strike within the hour. Also inform our spies that the chosen are all to be slain, especially the champion Liu Kang."

**(Scene Change)**

Scorpion watched from the shadows as the woman slew on of the lesser oni with a gleaming kriss. Once the huntress tried to kill him, thinking he was no more than another denizen of this gods-forsaken place. He showed her the error in her assumption and they now shared a mutual respect between predators.

"What do you want, Scorpion?" the woman spoke with Victorian voice. She turned to look directly where he was standing, her all white and gold outfit glaring in the reddish dark like of the Neatherrealm. The specter stepped out into the open and said, "What is Shinnok planning?"

"Have you forgotten? I am no longer in his service or informed of his schemes, "she responded.

"Don't give me that, Ashra, "Scorpion hissed, "There has got to be more than just revenge for Shinnok to risk so much."

A small half smile appeared on Ashra's face as she said, "It is not Shinnok's plans you should be concerned about."

**(Scene Change)**

"So the dragon just flew off?" asked Sonya after hearing the story from Stryker and Johnny, "Was it scared off by Althea?"

"I don't think so, "said the riot cop, "Don't ask me how or why, but to me it seemed like it was getting orders from someone. Just before it sent that smoke, it looked like as if something suddenly yelled in its ear or something."

"How could you tell?" asked Johnny sarcastically, "It's a dragon."

Sonya smiled but it quickly vanished as if was never there. "We'll call Stryker's superiors and give them some story about national security, "said the woman.

"I don't like it, "said Kurtis Stryker, "Lying…."

"We're not lying. That thing and anyone who can control it is a threat, "interrupted Sonya, "Also, since you're already familiar with the situation we're going to ask that you are assigned to work with us as long as the dragon is in the New York area."

"I hate you, "said Stryker looking directly at Sonya.

Althea ignored the discussion, concentrating on keeping in check her fear and anger. 'Damn you, Rayden, 'she thought as she gripped the seat even tighter, 'You are so going to pay for this.' A sudden flash a pain across her back broke through her thoughts and caused her to cry out.

None of the other's noticed due to helicopter's noise and them concentrating on hearing each other speak. Just as the pain started to fade it was replaced by another on her upper arm. This time, her quickly gripping that arm with her hand brought her dilemma to the other's attention. 

"You alright?" asked Johnny.

**(Scene Change)**

The Sworn Protector of Earthrealm arrived at the temple ruins and quietly walked in. Althea's fear of flying and her anger towards him was leaking through their shields, as if their bond was getting stronger for some reason. Rayden filed it away for later; he had more immediate things to deal with. Shinnok's return has been confirmed and the Red Dragon of Flame was freed with its true form. This had to be reported and then acted upon.

The thundergod knelt down within the temple ruins, preparing to request an audience. The sound of a sword cutting through air in the otherwise completely silent room was his only warning. He tried to roll out to the way; the sword was able to cut painfully across his back. Rayden rolled into a stance, facing his attacker. He could feel his back already healing as he was forced to dodge another swipe of a katana being held by a black clad warrior with glowing gray eyes.

Rayden was about to send a bolt a lighting at the intruder, when another sword came out of nowhere and would have taken his arm if was just a little slower. Instead it was only able to slice across his upper arm. The thundergod have had enough. Since they weren't fighting fair, neither would he. Rayden vanished and reappeared, with his hammer, behind the second attacker. He swung his hammer, knocking the warrior across the room and crashing into a wall to vanish in a puff of dark sand.

Rayden didn't bother to watch this as he faced the first of his attackers. However instead of continuing the fight, this warrior bowed deeply and walked away as Shinnok's voice echoed, "I see you haven't lost your touch, son."

Rayden turned to find the fallen Elder God, standing in front of the ruined alter that was once his. Electric sparks started running up and down Rayden's form as his eyes went completely white with his power. "I am not your son, "Rayden said in a calm voice.

**(Scene Change)**

Sonya and Johnny sat on either side of Althea and watched her with concern. The battlemage was now shaking almost violently, her eyes closed tightly. At first, they assumed it was her apparent fear of flying that was causing this reaction, but when sparks of light-blue flame began to flicker around her, they backed away.

"It's Rayden, isn't it?" asked Johnny remembering the first night he met the woman.

Althea opened her flame filled eyes and looked directly at the actor. "He is seriously pissed, "she said in an angry voice.

The light-blue flamelets around Althea started to increase in size and number. "Get me on the ground, "she hissed, "I need to put up a stronger shield but I can't do that while we're moving."

"You heard her, "yelled Sonya to the pilot. The pilot looked back briefly and then vanished in a puff of black sand. Sonya quickly unlocked her safety harness and then hurried to the controls, sliding into the pilot's seat. She tried to take control of the copter but the controls were not responding. The helicopter started going down. "Shit! "hissed Sonya.

**(Scene Change)**

At that time, Sub-Zero made his way through Chinatown, looking for something he knew wouldn't be there. The Lin Kuei once had a post around here but it was abandoned a year ago for a new one in upper Manhattan. But it was the one that he brother was most often staying at. With his American looks and perfect English, he was perfect for almost any job in the U.S. Sub-Zero walked up to the old closed up storefront that hid the Lin Kuei from public eye since the early part of the century. The Lin Kuei emblem could still be seen burned into the decorations of the sign. Sub-Zero frowned seeing that the boards that once crossed the doorway were no longer there. Carefully he walked over and tried the door, which opened easily with a slight creak.

Sub-Zero walked into the building, the front room was filled with dust but otherwise empty. He made his way to the back wall and pressed one of the painted over bricks, in which the Lin Kuei symbol could be barely seen in the paint swirls. With a light click and cracks appeared in the wall. Sub-Zero pushed the wall and it opened to reveal stairs going down. The frown on his face deepened when he saw the stairwell lights were on. With frost starting to build up on his hands and lower arms, he went down the stairs.

In a large room that appeared to be a cross between a large meeting hall and an area, Sub-Zero found a lone black-clad man, kneeling before an old Lin Kuei altar as if in respect. "Who are you and what are you doing here?" Sub-Zero demanded.

The stranger bowed before the altar in respect, stood and turned to look directly at Sub-Zero with his glowing gray eyes. The shadow warrior then bowed to Sub-Zero and then went into a familiar Lin Kuei fighting stance.

**(Scene Change)**

Jax tried not to sigh as the desk jockey looked over the papers he gave him one more time and then said he would have to call his superiors. He couldn't believe how much trouble it was just to get a damn office. True the office was at the Pentagon, but still all the paperwork was in order and all they had to do was give him the damn key and badge. Jax looked around as he waited, noting the four MP's; one next to the desk and one for each of the three doors leading in/out of the room. Jax snorted, wondering if they had MP's guarding the Men's room.

"My apologies, Sgt. Briggs, "the desk jockey said as he hung up the phone and started going through his desk, "Unfortunately, we were not told ahead of time but…."

Jax was not listening to the man as the MPs' eyes all started to glow gray and their uniforms started to melt in to something darker. He was definitely starting to get that sinking feeling at the pit of his stomach.

**(Scene Change)**

In China at the Temple of Light, most of the monks were sleeping peacefully. All but one, this lone monk after spending what seemed to him hours of tossing and turned decided to give up and head to courtyard for to meditate in the cool night air in the hopes it would relax him enough to sleep. Taking deep breaths, he mediated in the darkness with the stars and moon being the only sources of light. For a moment his plan seemed to be working but then sensing something he quickly jumped up to find himself surrounded by three black-clad men with glowing gray eyes.

"Kung Lao!" yelled one of the temple guards seeing the trouble from his post.

**(Scene Change)**

"Sure thing, Professor, "said one of students as he ran out the door.

The professor of history laughed at the rush the student was in. Was he ever in that much of a hurry when he was their age? Closing up his briefcase, and making sure his long black hair was neatly tied back he got up to leave the classroom. He then stopped walking and looked as if he heard something. He laid his briefcase back down on the desk and then a green glowing tomahawk like shape appeared in his hand. The history professor quickly turned and threw the tomahawk striking the black clad warrior as he appeared. The black sand didn't even settle when two more of the warriors appeared. 

**(Scene Change)**

Liu sighed as he looked over the damage. Burnt trees, craters and even bits of metal were scattered around. The monk sighed, considering the job that was ahead of him. He turned to head for the tool shed when he saw something flying right at him. Liu Kang dived to the ground, barely avoiding it. He stood up as he watched it turn and head back from where it came.

"What are you doing?" ask Liu.

Tanya smiled as she caught boomerang as said, "What does it look like…I'm here to kill you." Three shadow warriors melted into existence, surrounding Liu Kang.

**The End….**

Next Time on MK: Echoes of the Past:

The fallen Elder God smirked and said, "You'll always be Raijin to your dear old dad."


	16. Chapter 15: Death of a God

**Chapter Fifteen: Death of a God**

"Nothing personal, "said Tanya as the warrior to Liu's left struck first with a punch. The monk blocked the punch and countered with a punch of his own. The warrior to his right sent a high kick to Liu's head. Liu Kang dodged by ducking and sending a sweep kick to knock the warriors over. The third warrior behind him moved to attack but Liu using the momentum of his sweeping kick rolled on the ground and swung his leg up high catching the shadow warrior in the chest. Liu finished the move by rolling into a fighting stance. As Liu and the shadow warriors fought, Tanya stepped back and looked around as if expecting something or someone.

**(Scene Change)**

Rayden faced the former Elder God, prepared for almost anything; anything but the sudden surge of panic that came through his soulbond link.

"Step aside, Thundergod, "ordered Shinnok, "Or better yet leave. You may still have a chance to save that mortal slut of yours."

Rayden gripped his hammer tightly, fighting the deep urge to leave the temple to Shinnok's mercy and save Althea. He knew where his duty laid, but his love… Then the panic stopped to be replaced by surprise, mild shock and…humor? Whatever happened, it felt like she was no longer in danger.

"I will not step aside, "said Rayden with a cold smile, "As for Althea, she is more than able to defend herself. Hell, she could kick your sorry butt easily but I want to save that little bit of fun for myself."

"Really, Raijin, "said Shinnok as he summoned his polearm, "Do you really want to fight with me when your oh so powerful Elder Gods fear to do so themselves."

Rayden smirked and replied, "They're not afraid, they just have more important things to deal with than you. By the way… my name is RAYDEN!" With that the God of Thunder sent a large bolt of lighting directly at Shinnok. Shinnok didn't even bother to dodge it and just blocked it by swirling his polearm in front of him.

The fallen Elder God smirked and said, "You'll always be Raijin to your dear old dad." Shinnok then summoned what looked to be a pool of darkness at Rayden's feet. The darkness melted upward to entrap the thundergod, he teleported just before it closed around him and appeared behind Shinnok with his hammer already in full swing. Expecting this, Shinnok turned, blocked the hammer with his polearm and then countered slicing deep into Rayden's side. Rayden nearly dropped his hammer as one of his hands went to the injury, blood flowed freely with no signs of stopping.

"Oh didn't you know?" said Shinnok with false concern, "My weapon is the real thing not a water down alloy that my warriors are now forced to wield."

**(Scene Change)**

Sonya tried everything she thought she knew about helicopters but nothing seemed to work. "Goddamnit!" she exclaimed.

Johnny quietly slid into the co-pilot's seat next to her and started flicking a few switches and then reached over to switch flight control from the pilot's to co-pilot's station. He pulled back on the yoke and the helicopter leveled off. Everyone just stared at Johnny for a few seconds. "Hey, "he said with a shrug, "It happened in one of my movies. The bad guys sabotaged the pilot's controls but overlook the co-pilot's. Figure it was worth a shot."

Sonya then reached over, grabbed both sides of Johnny's face and gave him a hard, fast kiss on the lips. "Whoa, "said Johnny as the helicopter flew sideways for a few seconds.

Althea gasped in pain as she grabbed her side bringing everyone's attention back to her problem. 

**(Scene Change)**

Sub-Zero sent a blast of cold to his opponent who easily dodged and sent his own blast of darkness to the Lin Kuei warrior. Sub-Zero ducked, rolled and jumped with a spinning high kick aimed right at the shadow warrior's head. The warrior blocked it with one arm and punched Sub-Zero in the chest with the palm of his other hand. Sub-Zero fell back, hit the ground but rolled back up into a fighting stance in time to catch the shadow warrior's low kick. The leg froze over and Sub-Zero slammed into it with his elbow shattering it. The shadow warrior went down grasping what remained of the leg, but in seconds a new leg melted into place and the warrior jumped back up. 

Sub-Zero watched this with a frown and sent a larger blast of cold at the warrior hoping to freeze him entirely. The shadow warrior vanished and then appeared behind Sub-Zero. The warrior then knocked Sub-Zero over with a low sweeping kick. Before the Lin Kuei had a chance to refocus his chi the warrior stomped down hard into Sub-Zero's midsection knocking the wind from him.

The shadow warrior walked back to the altar to pick up a sword that was lying there as Sub-Zero fought to breath. The warrior unsheathed the sword, tossing the sheath to the side as he walked back to the prone Sub-Zero. Standing above the fallen Lin Kuei the warrior drew back its sword and prepared to plunge it into Sub-Zero's chest but hesitated. The shadow warrior shook his head, pulled back even farther and drove the sword forward until it stopped less than fingertip away from Sub-Zero. The warrior started shaking his head as if mentally fighting something and stepped back, dropping the sword with a clank. Recovering, Sub-Zero sat up and looked at the shadow warrior with a confused look. The dark-clad warrior looked at Sub-Zero for a second, blinked its glowing gray eyes and then vanished in a puff of dark sand.

**(Scene Change)**

Kung Lao ducked as a leg swept over him and blocked the lower kick with crossed arms. Then a sharp kick to the kidney area knocked him down, but he rolled with it back into a stance just in time to block another kick. One of his three attackers was about to send a blast of darkness but was tackled by one of the monks who were now racing out of the temple. The shadow warriors then all vanished in a puff of black sand.

In Chinese, one of the monks asked, "What were those things?"

Kung Lao answered, "I don't know but I have a good idea who might."

**(Scene Change)**

'I'm getting too old for this,' thought Nightwolf as he sent a mystic arrow into one of the shadow warriors who vanished in a puff of black sand. Nightwolf was then knocked forward and onto the floor when the other shadow warrior jumped kicked him from behind. The historian rolled out of the way to avoid being stomped on. Nightwolf stood up to face the warrior who had drawn a long bowie like knife. The shaman once again summoned his mystic tomahawk to block the knife and then counter with a punch to the shadow warrior's face. The shadow warrior caught Nightwolf's fist before it landed, at the same time he lifted his knife and then drove it in and out of the shaman's arm. The tomahawk vanished as Nightwolf drew back to clutch his injury. The shadow warrior followed to swipe and slash at Nightwolf who could only dodge the attacks. As he was backing away, Nightwolf tripped over his chair behind the desk and fell backwards.

A sudden crash and the sound of falling glass filled the room. A dark gray blur flew over Nightwolf and onto the shadow warrior with a growl. The shadow warrior fell back with the full weight and fury of the grey wolf on him trying for his throat. When he hit the ground, the shadow warrior vanished. The wolf stood up growling with its hackles ups and looked around. Nightwolf got up and walked towards the wolf, kneeling down beside it he said, "Thanks Kiva."

Kiva calmed down to sniff Nighwolf's injured arm and then whimpered in sympathy.

**(Scene Change)  
**  
In a parking lot of an abandon factory stood the black unmarked helicopter. Althea sat on the ground, concentrating on getting her mental shields up tighter. Sonya was in the helicopter talking on the radio with Jax.

"You should have seen it girl, "said a slightly garbled Jax, "The second those shadow guys showed their true colors a squad showed up and…."

"I get the picture, Jax, "said Sonya tiredly, "Just try to contact Liu and see about getting someone here to pick up this thing."

Sitting in the open doorframe of the copter, sat Johnny and Kurtis discussing what recently happened. "So you learned how to fly for that movie, "said Kurtis, "Ok I get that easy enough, but …"

Althea suddenly stood and said, "We got company."

A purple and yellow portal then opened and a woman with curly red hair stepped out. She wore a wide strip of leather as a top, tied together with what look like curved claws and a short leather skirt. There was something about her that just made Althea sick at the stomach, not her looks but something the battlemage could sense. Sonya jumped out of the copter and pulled out her gun as the guys got ready for a fight as well.

"Don't bother, "said the woman, "Much as I hate to admit it I'm not here to kill you, just to pass on a message."

"Get to the point, "said Sonya.

The woman smirked and said, "It seems that someone is attacking the Temple of the Elder Gods and your precious Lord Rayden is right in his path."

Althea's heart hit the ground as she heard these words. She knew that Rayden was in a fight of some sort; she could still faintly feel pain in her side where he was hit.

The woman turned back to the portal when Stryker asked, "Why are you telling us this?"

"It's not my idea, "growled the woman, "If it was up to me I say let the thundergod suffer a painful death, of course I would love to give the same to all of you." The woman then stepped into the portal which closed behind her with a hiss-pop sound.

"You're not considering going, "came Sub-Zero's voice.

Everyone turned to see a slightly limping Sub-Zero walking towards them from the other side of the helicopter. "Let me guess, "said Johnny, "You met some dudes in black ninja wanna-be outfits who just insisted on kicking your butt."

Sub-Zero remained silent and sat in the open door frame. He then said, "If you do go it's most likely a trap."

"Hello, "said Sonya, "If anything is tough enough to consider going up against the Elder Gods is there, I don't think they need a trap."

"Besides, "added Stryker, "It's not like any of us even knows how to get there."

Althea had turned away as Sub-Zero sat down when she saw a flash in the corner of eye. There near a broken wire gate stood a masked warrior in black and yellow. She frowned and remembered back when someone dressed similarly, once tried to kill her. Hearing Stryker's comment about getting to the temple, Althea thought, 'Damn it! Where was that bastard windgod when you needed him.' 

Althea thought for a second, considering her options as she crossed her arms. Nodding slightly to herself, she headed towards the strange warrior.

**(Scene Change)**

The last of the three shadow warriors fell and vanished in a puff of sand. Liu Kang then faced Tanya one more time, breathing slightly. "Why Tanya?" Liu asked, "We trusted you. Opened our home to you."

"Get a clue, Liu Kang, "Tanya said as she then sent a high kick to Liu's face which Liu easily grabbed and then threw her to the ground. "Seems you still have some fight in you, "she said, "We'll just have to do something about that." With that three more shadow warriors appeared blocking Liu's view of the woman. As they walked his way, this time each drawing a short sword, Liu backed up and went on the defensive.

"That's not very fair, "came Fujin's voice just before three small tornadoes appeared picking up the three warriors and tossing them into the burnt trees. Each of them vanished upon impact. Fujin then appeared next to Liu Kang with arms crossed and said, "Give it up Tanya, you can't win."

Tanya shrugged carelessly and then grinned, "We've been expecting you Lord Fujin."

Sensing it as it flew directly towards them; Liu reached out and caught the crossbow bolt before it hit Fujin in the heart. Fujin frowned and suddenly a wall of tornado force winds surrounded them and sheared, tossed, or smashed everything in its reach but left Tanya, Liu and Fujin untouched. In seconds the wind died down and silence ruled. Tanya fumed and then tossed something to the ground that flashed brightly blinding Liu and Fujin. When their eyes cleared, Tanya was gone.

Fujin breathed out angrily and then suddenly had a worried look on his face. "We got to go," he said as he grabbed onto Liu's shoulder and they both disappeared.

**(Scene Change)**

Rayden barely stood holding himself up with his hammer as he gripped his bleeding side. "Any last words… son," growled Shinnok as he raised his polearm. A roar shook the ruined temple, nearly knocking the weakened Rayden to the ground. Shinnok turned and looked up to see a blast of dragonfire heading directly at him. The former Elder God dived out of the way but Rayden was unable to do the same. Liu Kang came out of nowhere and tackled Rayden, pushing him out of the way of the fireball.

The Red Dragon of Flame flew in through the open ceiling and landed with a thump, glaring with its yellow eyes at its former master.

"You dare attack ME!" said Shinnok with outrage.

"You betrayed me!" hissed the dragon, "I served you faithfully, slew all that you asked even my own creator and you left me to rot in my prison."

"Unless you forgotten, I freed you once from that prison but you failed me shortly afterwards…I DO NOT TOLERATE FAILURE!" roared Shinnok as he sent his polearm flying into the dragon's throat. The dragon tried to roar but only blood and silence came out of its mouth as it thrashed in pain.

While this was going on, Liu helped Rayden to his knees and asked, "You okay?"

"Will be, "said Rayden with a hiss of pain, "How…"

A tornado suddenly appeared lifting and tossing Shinnok into a crumbling wall. Shinnok picked himself up from the rubble and then casually dusted himself off as he said, "I see that Enlil's brat has decided to join us."

Fujin appeared and said, "I suggest you leave Shinnok. You can not take on the Elder Gods."

"Oh, "said Shinnok raising his arm. The polearm that was on the ground next to the red dragon medallion flew into Shinnok's waiting hand. With a small twirl, Shinnok went into an aggressive stance, "Who is going to stop me."

Fujin sent blades of wind at the fallen Elder God who summoned a wall of darkness to block them. As they struck his shield, Shinnok vanished and then appeared behind Fujin striking with his weapon. Fujin as if expecting this dodged. 

As Shinnok and Fujin fought Liu pulled the crossbow bolt he had caught earlier out from his belt. Rayden saw this and raised an eyebrow. He could only hope that was what he thought it was. Liu studied the bolt for a second and tossed it slightly in his hand as if weighting it. The monk then stood up, took aim and threw it with all his strength at Shinnok. Shinnok turned and blocked the bolt with the blade of his polearm. The clank echoed. Fujin tried to punch Shinnok while he was distracted, but Shinnok caught Fujin's fist and then twisted the windgod's arm. Shinnok then tossed up and caught his polearm in a way that he could stab the god of wind. "No!" yelled Liu as he ran grabbing Shinnok's arm. The monk's actions loosened Shinnok's hold on Fujin just enough for the windgod to break free in time to avoid a fatal injury but the polearm did shallowly slice open his chest from the heart area to the shoulder.

"Vermin, "hissed Shinnok as he threw Liu towards Rayden, "Always getting into things they shouldn't." He then kicked the now bleeding Fujin towards the others. "Enough of this, "said Shinnok as a pool of darkness appeared under the two injured gods and Liu Kang. The pool started to melt upwards enclosing the trio in a black orb. Shinnok held his polearm with one hand and its butt planted firmly on the ground. His other hand, he held out palm upwards and started to close it slowly. As he did, the orb started to shrink as if to crush his prisoners. Then the shrinking stopped. Shinnok growled and clenched his fist again but to no avail. The slight hiss of fire filled the silent room warning the dark deity, he turned and summoned a wall of darkness but the light blue flames flew right through it as if it wasn't even there. He blocked it just in time with his weapon to avoid getting hit. As his concentration shifted to this new attack, the orb melted away revealing a barely visible hexagonal sphere around the still breathing Liu, Fujin, and Rayden.

"More vermin," mumbled Shinnok.

"Vermin? Maybe, "said Althea, "But I'm the deadly kind." She sent two smaller balls of light-blue flame, one from each hand, at Shinnok. Shinnok prepared to block them but the chi flames went into two separate curving directions and then headed towards him in a pincer move. He dived out of the way but then the fireballs followed him and nearly landed home if he had not rolled out of the way. Instead they smashed harmlessly into the ground. From the ground Shinnok sent a blast of darkness at the godslayer and then rolled into a stance grabbing his fallen polearm as he did.

As the godslayer and fallen Elder God fought, Fujin noticed that Althea didn't have her swords with her. He knew she left the apartment with them earlier, where were they now?

"Stupid bitch!" roared Shinnok as he sent another, larger blast of darkness at Althea and then vanished. She dodged the blast and prepared for Shinnok to reappear attacking, but was tripped by Shinnok sweeping the ground with his polearm as he appeared. He then raised his weapon and prepared to run her through. 

Then a sword blade appeared from Shinnok's midsection. The blade twisted and then retreated. Shinnok dropped his weapon as turned in shock to see Scorpion holding a bloody sword in his hands and a second sword strapped to his back. "Who?" Shinnok gasped before falling to the ground.

"Someone hired to kill you, "said Scorpion who then bowed slightly to Althea before vanishing in a ball of fire.

Althea rushed to her friends and raised a force shield up around the group preparing for what she know was about the happen. As Shinnok breathed his last breath all the energy and power that was his was released in explosion of dark energy that razed what was left of the temple ruins to the ground in first wave of destruction. Althea's shield barely held but then a second and a third wave hit. Each one stronger than the last and each weaken her shields. Althea went to her knees from the strain. 

Rayden and the other's watched her fight for their lives against what could only be the essence of an Elder God. Before their eyes, her hair turned white as she channeled more and more energy into her shields. Finally after what seemed an eternity the final wave passed over and then there was calm outside of slightly shimmering hexagonal dome. Althea released her shields with a sigh and then fell to the ground unconscious.

**The End…**

Next Time on MK: Echoes of the Past:

Shang Tsung said "Are you certain we can use…"

"Of course, "said Quan Chi, "But it will take time to access its power."


	17. Chapter 16: A New Season

**Note: **Okay, those of you who are familiar with the MK game storyline and have seen MK: A, might notice a little something 'wrong' with my story. I am NOT having Rayden become an Elder God. The reasons for this are simple: (1.) It would leave Fujin as the only experienced Earthrealm god (not a good idea), (2.) I have limited the number of Elder Gods on the council to seven and none of them got hurt/killed by Shinnok or his minions so there is no openings and (3.) because I don't want him as an Elder God in my story…so there. :-P

I got a question asking if I'm going to continue this story. The answer is a big yes. I am planning of running this story up to and past MK: Deception. So…I have a lot of writing left to do. Thanks again to everyone for the reviews and I do apologize if I don't answer/respond to all of them but I figure it would normally be best that answers be given in the story itself so not to spoil any surprises. ****

Chapter Sixteen: A New Season

Two sorcerers knelt before the Emperor Shao Kahn who once again sat on his throne of iron and bone. In the deadly silence, Kahn thought of what to do with the two of them. The half melted candles that lined the room didn't even flicker in the stillness. They have proven their worth and seemly loyalty in his struggles against Shinnok, but they were dangerous. Especially the pale faced one; he had already betrayed one master. He would have to make sure to keep them too busy to scheme.

"You, "said Kahn as he looked directly at the kneeling Quan Chi, "will see to my possible conquest of the Neatherrealm. With the power vacuum left by the destruction of Shinnok, now is the time."

Quan Chi bowed his head at the Emperor's words.

"And you Shang Tsung, "continued the Emperor, "Will be my spy in Edenia. I will reclaim that realm as MINE!"

Shang also bowed slightly but then asked, "What of Earth…my lord?"

Kahn's eyes narrowed from behind his bone mask as he said, "Earthrealm is my concern not yours. Now leave."

Both sorcerers stood and bowed to the Emperor of Outworld before leaving the throneroom. Once they were certain they would not be overheard Shang said, "Are you positive WE can use that thing?"

"Of course, "said Quan Chi calmly, "However it will take time to unlock the medallion's power. Fortunately, in the Neatherrealm there is the perfect place for me to work on it."

**(Scene Change)**

At the Temple of Light in China, the modern day Kung Lao fidgeted over some scrolls. One of the older monks look up from his own readings with a questioning look in Lao's direction. Kung Lao shrugged and said in Chinese, "My mind seems to be wondering today. My apologies, Master Long."

Master Long chuckled lightly and said, "You were meant to be a warrior not a scholar young one. Perhaps some fresh air will help settle your mind's wonderings."

Lao didn't hesitate standing up, bowing and saying, "Thank-you Master Long." The young monk then quickly left the room leaving a grinning Master Long shaking his head chuckling. However once Kung Lao was out of the room, Long's smile turned into a concerned frown.

Outside, Kung Lao closed his eyes as he took a deep breath and felt the sun on his face. Yes, this was much better than that stuffy library. Opening his eyes, he started walking with no destination in mind. He thought about what happened a weeks ago, strange warriors attacked him and Liu Kang's explanation only made things worse. Lao just couldn't shake the feeling that something bad was going to happen to his cousin. 

Eventually, Kung Lao found himself at the Temple's cemetery and looking at a special group of tombs. Here was a single monk surrounded by his non-Shaolin friends and their children. Seeing where he was, Kung Lao bowed reverently at each tomb in passing but even more so to one in particular. These held a special place of honor in the memory of many including a certain god.

Not wanting to disturb their rest, Lao turned to leave but a dog-like shape came out of nowhere knocking him over. Lao instinctively grabbed one of the tombstones to keep himself from falling. Images suddenly started flashing pass his mind's eye. A redheaded woman yelling at a tall-brown haired man and someone that looking almost exactly like him just sitting at a rough-hewn table trying to hide his laughter at the argument, then it chanced to multiple fight scenes. One fight was with an evil looking woman surrounded by a foggy shape of a dragon, another was with a group of men dressed like the drawings of the Lin Kuei from centuries ago, and then there was another man dressed in dark green that spat a green blob that hissed as it landed on the ground. The scenes came faster and faster until they were a confusing blur. Kung Lao was trapped in the visions of the past.

The uncontrollable images stopped as he was gently pulled away from the gravestones. A woman then said, "You really should learn to control that."

Kung Lao went to his knees, clutching his head in pain. The woman held onto his shoulders in sympathy. Due to the pain, Kung Lao failed to notice that the wind had died down to nothing and there was complete silence. The monk took a few breathes in the hopes of alleviating the pain, but knowing it wouldn't. Only the foul concoction that the temple healer's made would do so and only with the cost of a drug laden mind.

"Here, let me help, "said the woman, "It's gonna hurt at first but it'll do the job."

A sudden stabbing pain, flashed across his head from one temple to the other but then it was gone. Lao turned and looked up to see who had helped him to find a strange white haired woman with crystal blue eyes looking down at him. The bottom half of her face was hidden with a dark scarf and she wore clothes in the same cut as his monk's robes only in shades of black and gray.

"Who…"Lao started to ask.

The woman shook her head and said, "No one important." She then turned her attention to the names of the three prominent engraved names and traced each of them with her hand: Kung Lao…Taja…Siro…

With a look of remembering filling her eyes, she said, "Now those three…they were important and of course they did have their problems. As does all chosen warriors."

"You knew…"

The woman smiled sadly and said, "You could say that. Then again I also know Shao Kahn, so don't let the people I know influence your opinion of me."

The monk started to back away when she mentioned the Emperor but stopped at when she reached over and touched the side of his face with the palm of her hand. He flinched at the touch expecting another barrage of images, but was surprised when there was none and Lao then saw the sadness in her eyes as she said, "I need you to remember that the souls of the chosen are protected, despite of what you will see."

"What?" Lao started to say only to find himself once again looking at the down at the graves with the wind blowing in his hair and the sounds of birds in the distance. The monk turned around, looking but the strange woman was gone.

**(Scene Change)**

Althea blew at the strain of white and blonde hair that fell in her face as she ladled stew into a bowl. A pair of hands appeared on her hips and a strong chest leaned into her back. "Do you mind, "said Althea with a smile, "You'll cause me to spill…"

"You should be resting, "said Rayden as he deftly took the ladle from her hand, "Not cooking stew for everyone."

"I was hungry for stew and I can only make it in large quantities. Besides, shouldn't you be at your duties, "she replies as she turned around to look up into his dark eyes.

"I am, "Rayden said without humor, "I'm actually here on business…Do you remember what I said about being acknowledged by Kronos as being of his bloodline?"

"Vaguely, "said Althea dreading what she knew what Rayden was going to bring up.

"Earthrealm is desperately short of gods…"Rayden began.

"Hold it right there, "Althea said as she pulled away from the thundergod and walked away from him, "You can't expect me…."

Rayden closed his eyes against the anger he was feeling from Althea. Strengthening his mental shields, he said, "I was asked by the Council of Elder Gods to bring you to them. They didn't tell me why, but this is the only reason I could think of. Why are you so against this?"

"I just wouldn't make a very good goddess, "said Althea seriously, "I'm not the type of person who can stand by and do nothing. I understand you have to do this due to certain rules and I respect that you are able to do that, but I just couldn't. If I became a goddess, I would be breaking the rules every other day if not every day. Not to mention the memory of the last time I was given a similar…offer isn't a very good one."

Rayden walked over to her and placed his hands on her shoulders. "Just tell them what you told me, "he then grinned, "If that doesn't work blast them all and run for it."****

(Scene Change)

At his dining room table, Nightwolf stretched, winching at the sound of popping joints. Once again he swore to himself to never take on a freshmen class again. He gave the stack of reports a look that if there was justice in the world would have lit them aflame. A pair of tan feminine arms looped around his neck to cross over his chest. The dark haired woman rested her head on his shoulder and said, "You could hire a teacher's assistant to do that."

Without bothering to look at her, Nightwolf replied, "With how much these reports count towards their final grades? No, it wouldn't feel right."

The woman straightened up and brought her hands to his shoulders. Kneading them gently but firmly she said, "Then how about a vacation. You've been teaching almost non-stop since the invasion was averted."

Nightwolf sighed and closed his eyes and he leaned back into the massage. "Now that sounds like a good idea, Kiva, "he said, "How about a trip back to the reservation this summer."

Kiva raised an eyebrow as she said, "How about we wait for the winter session. It won't be so hot."

Nightwolf chucked and said, "The white man's world has you spoiled, you never complained about the heat before you got introduced to air conditioning. And no it would have to be in the summer, that's the only session they can spare me."

Then Kiva smiled and leaned over to whisper in his ear, "Then how about visiting Liu Kang and the others. They've been asking you to and a trip to the beach sounds heavenly."

**(Scene Change)**

Sitting behind the desk in the ranch house's den/office, Sonya tried to finish first OIA (Otherworld Intelligence Agency) report. She had a hell of a time trying to explain a dragon in New York, mysterious shadow warriors that somehow got into the Pentagon and the strange weather that seems to have appeared when Shinnok was fighting Rayden and the others.

A few last keystrokes into her laptop and a click to save…she was done! She pushed the computer away and leaned back into the chair, closing her eyes. A soft thump and the smell of fresh coffee made her open her eyes to see a smiling Johnny Cage.

"Looks like you could use a cup, "he said as he pulled up a chair.

"Thanks, "said Sonya as she picked up the steaming mug and took a sip.

"You almost done?"

Sonya nodded and said, "Took me long enough but it's done. All that's left is to send it."

Johnny's smile grew as he said, "Really? Now that's a reason to celebrate. How about I take you out for dinner?"

Sonya was about to say something along the lines of being busy, but remembered that she was already done with the report and there was nothing that couldn't wait until tomorrow. She smiled and said, "Sounds like you just got lucky."

**(Scene Change)**

Mavado stepped down and out of the private jet into the Californian sunshine. Wincing, he pulled out a pair of dark shades and sighed as he put them on. A woman in a very short chauffeur's uniform opened a limo door and said, "Welcome to Los Angeles, sir."

Mavado didn't bother acknowledging her presence as he slid into the limo. The door quietly closed as he pulled off the shades and gave the lackey waiting for him his full attention. "Do you have it?" Mavado said.

"Of course, sir, "answered the lackey as he handed over a manila folder, As the limo started to move, Mavado opened the folder to find some pictures of the woman he saw in New York. The one who faced the Red Dragon of Flame without flinching and the one the dragon called 'godslayer.' In most of the photos, she was either training, sparring or on some movie set.

"She's called Althea Magess, or at least according to the movie studio records. She came out of nowhere and got a part opposite of Johnny Cage. Her address is listed as being at a ranch house outside of LA that is being converted into a martial arts school, "the man pulled out a photo out of his jacket pocket and handed to Mavado, "A certain special forces agent is also staying at that same ranch house. It seems that the government has an interest in it."

An ironic half-smile appeared on the crime lord's face as he saw the picture of Sonya Blade. Now that was a persistent woman who knew what she wanted. She did more in helping him get rid of the Black Dragon than his entire organization and she wasn't even on his payroll. He tapped the edge of the photo with his finger, too bad she was such a straight arrow. We would have been perfect for each other. Mavado then said, "Find out more about this school and find out what sort of student they're looking for."

**(Scene Change)**

Lilith flew through the dark red skies of Outworld. Kuravan had ordered her to keep an eye on Shao Kahn, but she had just received a summons she had never hoped to hear again. The winged woman swooped down and landed next to a crater filled with molten rock. She looked around, not absolutely sure that this was the place.

"We thank you for your timely answer to our summons, "came a rich sounding woman's voice. 

Lilith turned and knelt down in the direction of the voice as she said, "I was honored to receive it, my Lady."

Another female vampire stepped into the red glow of the magma. Her hair tied back and held in place with hair sticks. She wore what looked like to be a very short red silk kimono, but it was the marking on her wings that declared that this was royalty of the highest caliber standing there. This was none other than Nitara and if their home realm still existed she would have been queen.

Nitara said, "We understand you have already been 'ordered' to watch the Emperor. You are to inform us his current actions to us as well as to your…'master.' Is this understood."

Lilith bowed and answered, "Yes, my Lady. It would be an honor to serve you once again."

Not far away, a cloaked figure stood in the shadows watching the meeting between vampires. A pair of red flares appeared where the figure's eyes would be.

**The End….**

Next Time on MK: Echoes of the Past

Sonya turned to look at Johnny and said, "Is there something wrong?"

"No, "answered Johnny still looking at her as if unable to move his eyes away, "I just can't get over how great you look in that dress."


	18. Chapter 17: The Date

**Chapter Seventeen: The Date**

Sub-Zero looked around the ranch house office as he picked up the ringing phone. He noted that the place seemed emptier than usual as he said, "White Lotus School of Martial Arts, American branch."

On the other end of the phone came the reply, "Sub-Zero? That you man? It's Jax."

"Yes, Jax, "answered Sub-Zero calmly, "Sonya isn't here at the ….."

"No matter, it's you I need to talk to, "interrupted Jax, "You're never gonna believe who…what we caught…"

"Sgt. Briggs, I am not one for guessing games. "

"He's yellow, mostly metal and used to be a co-worker of yours. Ring any bells?"

Sub-Zero sat down behind the desk and said, "Cyrax….Are you sure?"

"Just how many other yellow, cyborg ninjas do you know of?" was Jax's reply, "Of course it's Cyrax. He's pretty banged up and even his programming is screwed up."

"What do you plan to do with him?"

"Depends on our geek squad, a few of 'em think they may be able to remove the controlling program. Maybe, once that's gone his human personality will be freed, "said Jax, "That's were you come in."

"I'm the only one you know who's even met Cyrax when he was still completely human, "said Sub-Zero, "Do you need me to go there?"

"Eventually, "answered Jax, "but our wiz kids were able to find out from his memory banks where he last met the Lin Kuei masters, thought you might be interested."

A light frost built up over the desk and phone as Sub-Zero replied, "Tell me where."

"Some temple in northern China, "said Jax, "I'll email Sonya the exact location. Where is she anyways?"

"On a date with Johnny, "was Sub-Zero's answer.

"What!"

**(Scene Change)**

Sonya returned the ornate menu to the waiter as Johnny just stared at her with a dazed look, his chin resting in the palm of his hand. As the waiter walked away Sonya turned to look at Johnny and said, "Is there something wrong?"

"No, "answered Johnny still looking at her as if unable to move his eyes away, "I just can't get over how great you look in that dress."

Sonya leaned forward slightly and steepled her fingers as she asked, "You don't like how I look in my every day clothes?"

Johnny woke up from his daze as he stuttered his answer, "No..that's …not what I..I meant. It's just I've never seen you in a dress before and that one…wow."

Sonya took a sip of wine to hide her smile. She had to admit, it had been a long time since she had a chance or a reason to dress up. If it wasn't for the fact that is was an 'un-official' requirement that all female officers be able to 'dress nice' on a second's notice she most likely wouldn't even have the dress she had on. The slightly low-cut, silk green dress was form fitting and showed off her healthy figure without giving away too much. A diamond and emerald pendent and matching earrings complemented the dress and her eyes perfectly. A light touch of make-up here and there, her blonde hair falling loosely down about halfway down her back almost shimmering gave an image of a woman who would seem more comfortable on 5th avenue or Beverly Hills than on a battlefield.

"On no…"groaned Johnny seeing someone he definitely didn't want to enter the restaurant.

Sonya turned to see who it was, only to see a woman in an outfit that screamed 'loose actress.'

"Doesn't she know when to give up?" moaned Johnny placed his face in his hand.

Sonya turned back to Johnny and asked, "Who is she?"

"Johnny, darling, "the woman said as she approached their table with a pasted on smile, "I'm so sorry to hear that Magess won't able to finish filming the movie."

"You must have heard wrong, Ms. Faust, "said Johnny, "Althea is fine and will be back at the studio in a few days."

"Please call me Diana, "said the actress, "That is so good to hear….mind if I join you?"

"As you can see, I'm already here with Sonya, "said Johnny no longer bothering to hide his dislike of the actress, "So if you don't mind…"

Diana Faust sniffed in Sonya's direction and gave her an ugly look.

Sonya smiled coldly and said, "Nice to meet you too and to see that you are still walking, after what happened at the auditions."

Diana glared at Sonya and was about to say something when Johnny said, "I wouldn't. Althea's a push over compared to Sonya."

Sonya's smile turned from cold to predatory just before the actress turned with a huff and hurriedly walked away, nearly toppling a dessert cart in her rush. Johnny coughed to keep from laughing out loud and then said, "Maybe she'll finally get the hint."

Changing the subject, Sonya asked, "How's the movie doing?"

"Surprisingly well, "answered Johnny leaning back in to the chair, "We're filming the scenes that don't include Althea and they should last us until she is able to return to the studio. How about the OIA?"

Sonya breathed deeply and then answered, "We finally got governmental and military approval but we still have a lot of work to do just to get the project seriously started. Not to mention recruit and screen possible OIA agents. Right now there is only me and Jax as possible field agents. Hopefully once the school opens, we can start recruiting some of the more promising students."

"So you're not going to stick with soldiers?"

"No, "said Sonya, "To truly stop possible threats from other realms, we need to bring in all sorts of talent from all over. Kinda like what Rayden did with the chosen….only no Black Dragons."

Johnny smiled and then started counting off his fingers, "Two Shao Lin monks, two US Army Special Forces agents, a Native American shaman slash college history professor, a semi-reformed Black Dragon member, a New York riot cop and a Lin Kuei warrior……Rayden sure does know how to pick them."

Sonya raised her glass and said, "Don't forget the action movie star." Johnny nodded slightly before taking a sip from his own glass.

"Maybe you should ask Rayden to be your recruiting…."

!CRASH!

This time someone did knock over the dessert cart and by the looks of it a very loud argument was in the making between two men and a woman.

With a raised eyebrow Sonya looked at Johnny as he said, "Why don't we go somewhere else…"

A few minutes later the couple was waiting for the valet to bring Johnny's SUV around, a sudden flash of light accompanied with a soft clicking sound. As they were partially blinded, someone ran up and asked, "Johnny, who's the new gal? Is she someone you're seeing? What happened to that Magess woman? Are you two on the…"

More flashing lights and more questions were flung at them as more 'reporters' found out who was standing there. One even got up the nerve to grab Sonya's arm in the hopes of getting a few words with her. Sonya quickly reached over, grabbed his wrist and forcefully twisted it until he went to his knees in pain. 

Johnny saw the paparazzi go down and he gently took Sonya's upper arm and lead her through the crowd to the now waiting SUV. He was forced to shoulder his way through to clear a path for Sonya. The valet held the door open for Sonya as Johnny made his way to the driver's seat. Once safely in the vehicle, Johnny nearly ran over one of the photographers as he drove off.

They eventually made it to a stop light where Johnny had to stop. "I'm so sorry, "he said tiredly, "Normally that doesn't happen there. The restaurant's security must have been busy with that argument. Although I do admit, I loved how you handled that one guy."

Sonya leaned back into the car seat with her eyes closed, not saying a word.

'Not good,' thought Johnny as the light turned green. After a few more minutes of silence, Johnny asked, "You want to head back?"

Sonya smiled slightly and replied, "No let's try again, only I get to choose where."

Johnny nodded, as he was force to stop at another red light. Someone tapped on his window. Johnny turned to see what was up to see a gun pointed directly at him. "Get outta the car, now!" the man holding the gun yelled.

Johnny nodded slightly to Sonya as he held up one hand and opened the door with the other. "Leave the keys!" the man yelled as Johnny stepped out.

"Do you mind pointing that thing somewhere else, "said Johnny as he pushed the gun aside.

"Brave man, huh!" the man sarcastically said as he started to pull the trigger. The carjacker was unable to finish the act as Johnny forcibly knocked the gun out of his hand and then rabbit punched him. Johnny then grabbed and flipped the carjacker into the asphalt. The actor froze when he heard a loud click and felt the feel of cold metal at the back of his neck. "Try some of that Kung Fu shit now!" said another man. 

Then there was another, louder click and Sonya angrily said, "Put the gun down now."

The man hesitated just long enough for Johnny to turn and grab the gun from his hand and then punch him in the face.

There they were, two unconscious carjackers, a well known and dressed movie star holding a gun in his hand, looking at a blonde woman in a skin tight, green silk evening dress and all he had to say was, "Where the hell did you hide that thing?"

**(Scene Change)**

Mavado yawned silently from behind a heavy looking desk as he read over some papers. A phone rang and he picked it up not bothering to look up from his papers. "Yes, "he said.

On the other end, a man was using a public phone as he watched Johnny Cage and Sonya Blade talking to some police officers as they stood next to a parked SUV and two handcuffed men.

"Followed them like you said, boss, "the man said, "From what I've seen, they seem to work well together and can take care of themselves... if ya' know what I mean. The guy is a bit of a show off though and the gal has a temper you wouldn't believe."

Back at his desk, Mavado chuckled as he leaned back into his chair. "Yes, "the crime lord said, "Sonya Blade does have a bit of a temper. I'll take your full report with the video recordings in the morning. Then I will decide what else to throw at them."

**(Scene Change)**

"I kinda hoped I would never see this place again, "said Althea as Rayden knelt down in the ruins of the Temple of the Elder Gods. The thundergod reached up and took hold of her arm to indicate that she should also kneel. Fighting not to roll her eyes, Althea did as Rayden 'asked.' Both were kneeling as Rayden silently requested an audience. The ruins began to melt to be replaced by a marble room, the walls painted with images of nature from all the realms. Seven altars stood, lining the room, each a representative of an Elder God.

Althea jumped up and started to look around when she found herself alone. "What the…"she started to say as her eyes began to flicker.

"There is no need to concern yourself, "came the voice of Kronos as he appeared where the altar of Time stood, "Rayden is meeting with other members of the council. We felt it would be best if I meet with you alone."

Hearing the tone in the Elder God of Time's voice, Althea somehow knew that the Elder Gods weren't too happy with her for some reason. She had a good idea why, but she wasn't going to be the one to bring it up. "I assume this isn't about the shortage of gods on Earthrealm as Rayden believed?"

"No, "said Kronos crossing his arms, "It's about you giving your swords to the specter known as Scorpion."

**(Scene Change)**

"As you know, Lord Rayden, "said Danu, the Elder Goddess of Water, "Earthrealm is desperately short of gods. You and your brother have done a superb job so far in keeping the balances in check, but you two can only do so much. We of the council have decided to allow gods of other realms the chance to include Earth as one of their domains."

Aether, the Elder God of Light then said, "Unfortunately, even with a jewel of a realm such as Earth, recent events and the presence of a living godslayer has made it difficult. Only a handful of deities have applied and of those only a few we would even consider for such a position, one of which is from the same realm that your godslayer originated from."

Rayden closed his eyes and said, "Please don't tell me it's…."

**(Scene Change)**

As the sun rose, shots rang out at a deserted New York warehouse. As the echoes faded, the sound of machine aided breathing filled the silence. Limping and obviously in pain, he walked slowly across the empty space holding up his gun ready to fire. As he walked, light filtered through cracks revealed a dark colored trench coat, an air mask, and long black hair.

He turned when a clattering sound echoed and he hissed in pain at the sudden movement. Then out of nowhere a hand ripped off his air mask and he was kicked to the floor. Struggling to breath he rolled over to face his latest assailant.

There she stood, holding his life giving air mask loosely in one hand. The woman had short, black spiked hair and was wearing a leather vest, short leather skirt and chain mail like shirt. Her metal tipped boots clicked loudly as she walked over and then placed one of her feet on his chest, pushing him firmly inot the concrete floor.

"Mr. Kabal, I assume, "she said as she dangled the air mask just out of his reach, "I was sent by my….employer to offer you a proposition."

"Who…..are…..you?" Kabal gasped as he fought a losing battle to breath.

The woman removed her foot from his chest and then leaned over to place the air mask back over his scarred face. Kabal hastely reconnected the hoses and took deep breaths to get rid of the dizziness.

As she walked away to give Kabal time to recover, the woman said, "I'm known as Arianna."

Kabal slowly got up, mindful of the still healing injuries given to him by Mavado. "What…does your…boss want with me?"

Arianna smiled as she re-approached the now standing Kabal. "My 'boss' as you put it is expanding his…. business and needs a uniquely gifted local as an…advisor you could say."

A few deep breaths and Kabal said, "You are aware I am being hunted by both the Red and Black…"

The woman laughed and said, "The Black Dragon is the same as dead. Only three people still breathe that were once of that group; you, the coward Jarek, and Kano who happens to be fighting a losing battle for Shao Kahn. As for the Red Dragon, "Arianna started running a finger up and down Kabal's chest plate, "Let's just say my 'boss' and his employees have nothing to fear from the likes of them."

Kabal looked at the woman through his goggles trying to determine the truth of her words. As if sensing this Arianna looked up into his eyes. Her eyes flared up with blood-red flames for a brief second.

"I'll listen to what your boss has to offer, "Kabal finally answered with a tired tone.

"Smart choice, "Arianna said as she backed away and pulled out a crystal from her chain mail shirt. She turned around and a portal opened in front of them.

**The End**

Next Time on MK: Echoes of the Past….

Fujin said, "No."

"You said you wanted to help, "said Rayden.

"No."

"It would only be temp…."

"No."


	19. Chapter 18: Changing of the Guard

**Note: **I do not own anything to do with Midway, Mortal Kombat, MK: Conquest, etc. Yay! My writer's block has let up a little. Let's hope it lasts. BTW please excuse some of the grammar, spelling, etc errors. My normal beta reader is kinda busy at the moment, but I did try to catch and correct most of the errors.****

Chapter Eighteen: Changing of the Guard

Whack! Whack! Thump! Crack! "Those self-centered…" Whack! Crack! Thump! "…hypocritical…."

Sub-Zero stood safely in the doorway to the gym as he watched Althea take her frustrations out on a practice dummy.

--Althea's flash back—

"You are aware that those weapons in the wrong hands can be extremely dangerous to the stability of the realms, "said Kronos with a cold, angry voice, "What were you thinking…."

"I was trying to find some way to get here and stop whoever Rayden was fighting, "answered Althea just as angrily, "I could _feel _how angry and physically hurt he was. There was no one else around that could get me here."

"That's no excuse. The temple has defenses that would have taken care of the threat of Shinnok…."

"Before or after he killed Rayden and the others!"

The Elder God of Time went silent for a few seconds and then said, "So you main concern was not the temple….but that of the thundergod and his allies?"

"Hello, "said Althea sarcastically as if long ago forgetting just who or what she was taking to, but that was soon proven wrong, "You guys are the most powerful beings around. I do believe you can take care of yourselves, but I _knew _Rayden was in serious trouble."

"That does not explain why you gave your swords…."

"Haven't you been listening? There was no way I was going to let Rayden get killed and unlike you and the other Elder Gods I did something about it, "Althea said heatedly, "Oh yeah…I forgot you guys really don't care about anything but your own sorry hides!"

Suddenly, Kronos looked tired and careworn. Althea started to regret those last few words and was about to apologize when the Elder God held up his hand and said, "It does not matter what you believe. What matters is that you regain those swords…."

---End Flashback---

Whack! Thump! A few choice words in Calornian. Then suddenly Althea stopped. Not bothering to wipe the sweat from her forehead, she closed her eyes and tilted her head back. Kronos was right. Those swords were just too dangerous to leave in Scorpion's hands.

Seeing that she had calmed down, Sub-Zero entered the gym and asked, "Is there something wrong?"

Althea gave the Lin Kuei a look and answered, "No, I just thought this thing was giving me an ugly look." She sighed, "Don't worry about it, I just have….wait….You know that Scorpion guy."

The eyebrow over Sub-Zero's scarred eye rose as he said, "Only that he hunted my family for generations, but now seems to have decided to be an ally. Why?"

"I gave him something I shouldn't have, "she admitted, "Now I have to get them back. Do you know how to contact him?"

The Lin Kuei shook his head negatively and said, "No, he usually shows up when I least expect him."

"So I should just hang around you…"

"No, "said Sub-Zero, "The reason why I came was to tell you I will be leaving for a while."

Seeing something in Sub-Zero's face, Althea seemed to know that this trip wasn't for fun. "You're going…hunting aren't you?"

**(Scene Change)**

Quan Chi turned with a cruel grin as he said, "Marvelous. You have done an excellent job….for a change."

Two leather clad women held up a barely conscious Scorpion as a third knelt before the sorcerer, holding up a pair of sheathed swords. The specter looked up with flames in his eyes and tried to lunge for the weapons. The women holding him released him as one slammed down hard on his back with her elbow. Her partner then stomped him on the back of the head as he crashed into the ground.

"Now…ladies, "Quan Chi smirked, "Is that anyway to treat my pets next meal?" He then placed one sword on a table and unsheathed the other. Admiring the bluish tint in the metal's sheen, he thought out loud, "I really should see if they do work as claimed." With that being the only warning, he sliced through the kneeling woman's neck. Her body slumped to the ground as her head rolled off next to Quan Chi's feet. The other two women looked at each other briefly and nervously, but remained where they were.

A good five minutes and few more stomps on Scorpion's head later, Quan Chi smiled, "It seems that the stories are true, these swords can kill immortal creatures." He then kicked the head to the side and said, "Clean up this mess and take him to…." The sorcerer went silent for a second and then said, "Better yet….GET HER!" He turned and pointed to one of the rafters.

"Let him go, "said the white clad, demon huntress as she drew her holy kriss.

Quan Chi smiled coldly and said, "A little brave for a lone she-demon."

Ashra returned the smile as the ground shook once….then twice. She then answered as a pair of roars rang out, "Your 'pets' looked like they needed some exercise."

One of the walls exploded as a pair of large oni broke through in their rage and need for revenge. Quan Chi's servants ran to intercept the monsters as Ashra jump down, her demon slaying sword in hand to rid herself of the cursed sorcerer. Quan Chi blocked Ashra's attack with the sword he was already holding. Metal screamed as the edges slid against each other. The sorcerer glared into Ashra's eyes and hissed, "You are a fool!"

Still smiling, Ashra replied, "And you're oni food." She then jumped back as Quan Chi found himself held up high in the air by the taller of the two oni. The shorter one was busy ripping the arms off one of the women.

The huntress took the opportunity to help Scorpion to his feet and said, "Let's get out of here, before it starts to get rough."

**(Scene Change)**

Rayden fell back on his couch with a tired look on his face. He couldn't believe the Elder Gods were actually inviting Kuravan to take a place among Earth's pantheon of gods. A sudden surge of frustration that was not his own, reminded him of another problem. The fluctuating link between him and Althea was getting worse and added to his headache. No matter how strong he made his shields, her emotions occasionally made their way through.

"You ok, bro?" asked Fujin, sitting in the chair across the room.

"Between Kuravan, a messed up bond link, a shortage of gods and the duties of Sworn Protector…..No, I'm not ok, "answered the thundergod.

Fujin winched slightly, hearing the tiredness in his brother's voice. True the shortage of gods had affected his own duties, but no where as much as it did Rayden's. His position as Sworn Protector dictated that he lead the gods of Earthrealm and take over the problems such as the god shortage as well as ensure that Kahn doesn't make any headway due to the realms weakened defenses. 

"When are you going to tell Althea that Kuravan is coming to Earthrealm?" asked Fujin trying not to cringe.

Rayden remained silent and closed his eyes.

Fujin got serious and said, "You better tell her otherwise when she finds out …..Let's just say, I don't want to clean up the mess."

"I know….I know, "said Rayden, "Kuravan was one of the reasons why she came to Earthrealm to begin with. When she learns that he has been given a position as one of Earth's gods…."

"She's not going to leave, "said Fujin, "When are you going to get that through your thick skull. And Kuravan was not the only reason she left Calorna, he's just the only one that seems to insist on following her. Besides, she's stronger now and can kick Kuravan's butt with no problems."

"That's another thing that I'm worried about, "added Rayden, "What if she does 'kick Kuravan's butt?' At least one Elder God would love to use that as an excuse to claim she is a danger to all gods."

"I hate to tell you this, bro, but you're dating a godslayer, "said Fujin with a grin, "She is dangerous, nice looking, but dangerous."

Rayden opened his flashing eyes and glared at his younger brother, daring him to continue.

Trying to cheer Rayden up and change the subject, Fujin said, "At least the problem of so few gods should lighten up soon, especially if the Elder Gods are sending experienced deities rather than godlings like last time."

"You mean like you?" Rayden smiled slightly at the memory of Fujin's early assignment to Earthrealm.

Fujin shrugged with a grin. "This link problem, "he said changing the subject, "Any idea what could be wrong?"

Rayden picked up a scroll that was on the couch next to him and tossed it to Fujin. "According to that, "he said as Fujin opened it, "Basically, I need to spend more time alone with her. The combination of the bond being re-established after so long and the fact we spend so little time with each other now is causing the fluctuations. Basically the bond is telling us to get it together already."

Glancing over the scroll, Fujin made another observation, "It also says here that such a separation could also cause some alterations in a person's personality. That would explain why you lost you sense of humor."

Rayden snorted.

"However, why does it seem to be affecting you more than…"Fujin started to ask and then nearly slapped himself.

"For me it's been close to five and a half centuries, "Rayden answered the unfinished question, "To her it's been less than a decade. Not to mention it is affecting her, she felt that fight I had with Shinnok and had to strengthen her shields to the point of being mystically blind, but still she felt it."

Fujin smirked, "So you two need a little….alone time with each other.

Rayden gave Fujin an angry look over the lecherous tone in the wind god's voice but nodded, "Unfortunately, with me being the Sworn Protector it will be my job orientate and oversee the new arrivals."

"Ouch, "said Fujin, "That could take years. Wish I could help."

Rayden was about to say something along the lines of 'don't worry about it,' but then a sudden thought flashed across his mind. With a long forgotten half-smile, the thunder god said, "You know since you were my assistant…"

The god of wind realized what Rayden was leading to and Fujin said, "No."

"You said you wanted to help, "said Rayden.

"No."

"It would only be temp…."

"No."

"You know I don't have to ask, "said Rayden, "Just mentioning what happened last time I met with Kuravan and the fluctuating soul bond, the Elder Gods would no doubt be happy to…"

"You wouldn't dare, "Fujin said with a heated look.

**(Scene Change)**

Fujin and Rayden walked out of the ruined Temple of the Elder Gods. A cheery looking Rayden patted Fujin on the back and said, "Good luck….Sworn Protector."

Fujin glared at Rayden as he said, "I hate you."

**The End….**

Next Time on MK: Echoes of the Past….

Mokap watched the movement of her rear as she Althea walked off. Johnny slapped the back of his head and said, "Don't even go there. Believe me; you don't want to mess with her boyfriend."


	20. Chapter 19: Eye of the Tiger

**Note: **Someone wrote me with a few good questions in regards to the story which I feel doesn't give away too much from the story, so I decided to answer them now rather than wait until the end of the story. 

One question was how the hell did Althea take being shoved 500 years into the future without freaking out by all the changes? Simple, this is a woman who has gone through so much in her life that change seems normal to her. She did freak out a little bit when she found out, but she basically kept it inside. Think about it…she killed one of her own gods, forced to leave her home world because another god wants to control or destroy her, faced her own and Rayden's evil twins created by sorcery, faced a dragon/undead woman and a dragon/centurian creature, not to mention ending up stranded in some strange realm when she thought she was going to die. sigh This is only part of what she's been through. Let's just say the big things don't bother her too much any more, it's the small things that do.

The other question was the language issue. Like how did she learn modern English so quickly? I was going to say it was that same spell/gift that when traveling through a portal a person learns the local language most common in the region, but she didn't travel by portal when she was found by Fujin….Oh hell…it was the same spell/gift or it is until I can find a better explanation. Any suggestions? (Cool..this note seriously added to my word count)

Now on to the story…..  
**  
Chapter Nineteen: Eye of the Tiger**

"Put the gun down now!" yelled the special agent.

The foreign spy sneered as he held the gun to the blonde woman's head, holding her tightly with his other arm. "She's my ticket out of here, "he snarled, "So drop it…."

The woman threw her head back, smashing into the spy's nose. The foreign spy released her as his hand went up to cover his now gushing nose. The woman dropped to the ground, and spun her leg around tripping her former captor.

The special agent kicked the gun out of the spy's hand and then placed his own gun next to the spy's head. "Game over, "said the special agent with a mean half-smile.

"CUT!" came the director's voice, "That's a wrap people."

Everyone in the room clapped and cheered, causing the woman to blush slightly. 

The 'spy' was helped to his feet by 'special agent' Johnny, still holding his nose. "Damn girl, "said Mokap, "You have one hell of a hard head."

Althea shrugged in apology and walked off to her dressing room. Mokap watched the movement of her rear as she walked off. Johnny slapped the back of his head and said, "Don't even go there. Believe me; you don't want to mess with her boyfriend."

**(Scene Change)**

Shang Tsung sat at the head of a food laden table, apparently studying the apple he held in his hand. The look of intense study changed to rage as he threw the apple across the room and into a wall. 'Damn, that Quan Chi, 'he thought, 'He should have been here hours ago.'

Taking control of his rage, he stood up and walked out of the dining hall into the courtyard. His boots clicking on the marble walkway, he walked passed the flowering hedges which barely hid the crushed and splintered bone at their base. Nearing the courtyard's fountain, the sorcerer stopped and snarled, "Show yourself, I know you're there."

A hazy green outline of a man sized lizard appeared on the ground next to the fountain. It solidified into the form of a humanoid lizard in armor. The creature jumped up into a defensive stance, its long tail swaying slighting in agitation. "The Emperor demandssss a report on your lack of progressssss against the Edenianssss, "the creature hissed.

Shang Tsung looked over the last known member the Zatterian race and nearly snorted in amusement. The creature seems to deem it a worthless waste of energy to continue with the charade of keeping a 'human-like' appearance and now stay in his true form. Perhaps, the lizard needed a new lesson on his place in this existence soon. "That does not give you an excuse to sneak around my premises, "the sorcerer replied, "What were you hoping to see?"

Reptile hissed and answered, "I take no demandsssss from you, ssssocerer! I only obey the Emperor assss ssssshould you." The reptilian warrior turned to leave when one of Shang Tsung's servants hurriedly walked up to the sorcerer and knelt down saying something about his guest arriving injured.

**(Scene Change)**

Wearing a short, white robe Althea dug through a backpack for a change of clothes. A smile appeared on her face just seconds before a pair of masculine hands appears on her hips. Warm breath moved a wet strand of hair from her neck as Rayden said, "Do you have any idea what terry cloth does to me?"

Althea chuckled as she pulled away from the thundergod and said, "I can guess, but now is not the time to find out if I'm right."

Rayden smiled as he watched her walk back into the bathroom to change, feeling a little disappointed. The smile changed to a frown as he thought about what he had to tell her. This was not going to be easy.

"What's wrong?" Althea yelled from the bathroom.

Rayden mentally strengthen his shields, this was not the time for her to know what he is feeling.

"Don't bother trying to hide it, "she yelled again, "Every time you completely block me out I know something is wrong."

Rayden flinched as the bathroom door opened. Althea walked out wearing a white T-shirt and blue jeans as she said, "Ok spill it."

Rayden sat down next to the make-up table with a sigh. "There's been a few changes among the gods that….I'm no longer the Sworn Protector of Earthrealm…"

"What! What happened? Why did the Elder Gods…."Althea said.

"I asked to be removed, "interrupted Rayden and then with a half-smile continued, "Let's just say the Elder Gods and I agreed that I needed a little time off. I am still the active God of Thunder, but will have more free time to spend with you."

Althea just looked at him for a few moments and then crossed her arms, "And…"

Rayden raised an eyebrow but thought it best not to comment on how she was acting. "One of the reasons why the Elder Gods agreed to this was my history with one of the god's being brought in to fill for those who were killed by Shinnok's forces, "he said and then his half-smile vanished.

"No, "said Althea as she uncrossed her arms and her eyes started to flash, "HE isn't coming to Earthrealm."

"Actually, "said Rayden, "he is."

A loud knock at the dressing room door interrupted their discussion. "You about ready?" came Johnny's voice.

Althea turned and picked up the backpack. She then walked to the door and just before opening it she coldly said, "We'll talk about this later."

The door slammed shut after she walked out. "She took that rather well, "said Rayden to the empty room before he vanished.

**(Scene Change)**

Sub-Zero breathed the icy air in deeply, enjoying the break from the summer heat. Why the Lin Kuei would choose to set up their new headquarters in an area where his powers would be at there strongest, Sub-Zero had no idea but he wasn't going to complain. He would need every advantage he could get in the upcoming fight. Sub-Zero continued walking through the snow covered mountain pass, not seeing the shadowy figured that watched him with gray glowing eyes from one of the cliffs above.

The ice warrior eventually saw his destination in the distance, an old stone fortress forgotten by all but the Lin Kuei masters since ancient times. However it was the sight of the open gates and smoke rising from it, that made Sub-Zero stop in his tracks. He had planned on waiting until night and sneaking in, but the fresh bodies on the ground in front of the gates changed his mind. Sub-Zero held out his hand and as frost built up on his lower arm a sword of ice was created. Once completed, Sub-Zero held the ice blade in a defensive manner prepared for attack and slowly made his way to the gates. When he reached the dead guards, he knelt down next to one. A cyborg, its metallic skull was smashed open revealing the crushed bits of brain proving that it was once human.

Standing up, he carefully continued on his way past the gates. Glancing back and forth as he did, Sub-Zero slowing walked through the smothering fortress. Soot covered stone buildings stood with smoke trickling from empty doorways and windows. Both human and cyborg bodies lined the streets in varying states of destruction. Some were torn to barely recognizable bits while others laid there appearing untouched. Who or what could to this to the entire clan?

"How DARE you?" came an angry voice. Sub-Zero turned to see the Headmaster himself standing on the eastern ramparts, glaring down at him. The Headmaster pulled off his hood to reveal an ageless looking, bald man with soulless blue eyes. He pulled off his robes to reveal a muscular body wearing traditional Lin Kuei light armor in shades of black and silver lacking the mask. In the middle of his chest a silver medallion was sewn in with a dark blue dragon engraved upon it. "You will pay for you treachery, "hissed the Headmaster, "Trying to leave the Lin Kuei was one thing but killing your brothers!" The Headmaster then jumped off the rampart, flipped once and landed heavily on his feet glaring angrily at Sub-Zero.

"What happened here?" demanded Sub-Zero going into the defensive stance, "Who did this?"

"Like you didn't know, traitor, "replied the Headmaster with a voice that grew deeper and growled filled. Sub-Zero watched in horror as the Headmaster grew in size, fangs filled his mouth, his ice-blue eyes developed slits and a pelt of white fur with black stripes covered his visible skin. Somehow the armor grew with him and once the transformation was complete the roar of an angry tiger filled the air. In a blur the creature ran and knocked the ice blade out of Sub-Zero's hand before he even had a chance to move. Its claws slicing part-way through Sub-Zeros own armor as it went past. 

The ice warrior fell back as the were-tiger struck again with another blur, barely avoiding getting his throat sliced open. As fast as he could, Sub-Zero used his powers to create a thick coat of ice over his arms and used it to block the creature's deadly claws. Even with that, the creature was still able to land it blows on occasion. Sub-Zero could not fight back the creature was just too fast. Diving to the ground to avoid another swipe, Sub-Zero rolled back up into the kneeling position and sent a large blast of ice coating the creature in solid ice. Before Sub-Zero had a chance to continue with his attack, the Headmaster broke free of the ice with a roar sending sharp shards of ice in every direction. Sub-Zero called up a wall of ice to protect himself which the creature smashed through to get to the ice warrior. Dodged out of the way just in time as the creature fell onto all fours where he was standing less than a second before. 

The creature's eyes glowed green as it slowly stood and flexed his claws. It was then that Sub-Zero noticed that the emblem on his chest glowed faintly rather than just reflecting the light. Perhaps that was what was making the thing so damn fast. 'If that's the case, 'thought Sub-Zero with a grim smile.

The Headmaster charged, swiping with his right claw filled paw and then with his left. Sub-Zero dodged sideways to avoid the first swipe. He then ducked and dived under the second to grab hold of the medallion. Once his hands were on it, he summoned his powers over ice to once again encase the tiger. Before it had a chance to break free again, Sub-Zero pulled back and the medallion broke off with a loud snap.

Sub-Zero fell backwards, knocked over by the force of the tiger breaking free of the ice. Seeing his opponent on the ground the tiger pounced, but this time he was noticeably slower than before. Sub-Zero easily rolled out of the way and into the stance. With the medallion in one hand, Sub-Zero raised the other to send a powerful blast ice and the tiger as the creature jumped into an attack. This time the Headmaster was not encased in ice, but literally became ice and when he landed shattered into pieces.

Sub-Zero went down on one knee, feeling a strange sensation of both getting stronger and being drained. A footstep on crackling ice was his only warning before the laser blast struck where he was kneeling less than a second after he dived to the side. Sub-Zero got up and turned to see a dark, sleek, stealthy looking cyborg; different than any of the other cyborgs he has seen over the past few years. A new model?

"Surrender the medallion, "the cyborg said in a mechanical voice, "and your life will be spared."

"Smoke?" whispered Sub-Zero backing up some.

"Smoke 2.0 to be exact, "replied the cyborg as he fired again. 

Sub-Zero dodged and said, "Why do you want this medallion so much? Why don't you just kill me? That is what you're programmed for."

"That is not important, just hand over the medallion, "answered the cyborg.

"It was you….you're the one who destroyed this fortress!"exclaimed the ice warrior, "Why?"

"I am following orders, "answered the cyborg still aiming his wrist laser at Sub-Zero, but not firing.

Once again unseen, a figure hidden in the shadows between two buildings watched with gray glowing eyes. The watcher held up what appears to be a hand held computer and typed in something.

Smoke put down his arm and looked in the direction of the unseen watcher and nodded. He then looked back at Sub-Zero and said as he crossed his lower arms, "We will meet again." Thick black smoke filled the air, blocking Sub-Zero's view.

"What! "exclaimed Sub-Zero as he ran through the smoke and found that the cyborg was gone. The ice warrior scratched his head and look around then at the medallion in his hand. "Ooooookay, that was weird, "said Sub-Zero, "Even for me."

**(Scene Change)**

An older couple stood next to a late model Suburban just outside the ranch house gates. The woman was blonde with gray streaks, wearing yellow sundress and sandals. The man was dark haired with gray streaks over his ears, wearing a beige men's shirt and pressed, dark brown slacks.

"I told you, we should have called, "said the woman.

The man sighed and replied, "Don't start, Erica."

"For all we know, "the woman continued, "she could be away on assignment or in Washington. All because you think that woman you saw in the tabloid picture was her."

Johnny's SUV drove up behind the Suburban. The driver's side door opened and Johnny stepped out to ask, "Is there anything I can help you with?"

Back in the SUV Althea watched Johnny walk over to the couple without seeing. She was definitely starting to feel guilty about how she treated Rayden a little while ago. It wasn't his fault Kuravan was given a position among Earthrealm's pantheon, he was only the messenger. Perhaps it was a good idea for the two of them to spend a little more time together. She leaned back into the car seat and closed her eyes. I'll need his help anyway trying to find Scorpion to get those swords back. Perhaps a little 'adventure' with just the two of us might be just the ticket. Althea opened her eyes when she heard the door open. Johnny slid back into the driver's seat and Althea noticed that the vehicle that was parked in front of them was already driving up to the ranch house. Seeing Johnny's pale face, she had to ask, "What's wrong? Who are they?"

Johnny answered in a monotone voice, "They're Sonya's parents."

**The End….**

Next time on MK: Echoes of the Past…..

Kung Lao looked out the window to see _himself_ walking up to Liu Kang.


	21. Chapter 20: Frosty Meetings

**Note: **I do not own Mortal Kombat….you know the routine. Sorry for the delay, but hopefully these next two chapters make up for it. Also, please don't be upset by Sonya's and Jax's big jump in rank. Remember, they are the only ones with experience in regards to other realms in the military (no 'Stargate' in this story) and they need that rank to be in charge of the OIA. Also once again please forgive me for grammar and spelling mistakes. I read over this thing five times and I know I still missed some. Unfortunately, my beta reader is a little busy right now due to family matters. Guess I need a new beta reader…sigh****

Chapter 20: Frosty Meetings

Kung Lao looked around his room one last time to ensure that he wasn't going to forget anything. The odds of him returning to the temple anytime soon were not good thanks to the Chinese government. Sighing he closed the last bag and wondered how life in the United States would be like. From what Liu described it was both exciting and strange…almost like visiting another world. Last time he traveled to another world or realm he nearly got himself killed.

Kung Lao looked out the window to see himself walking up to Liu Kang. "NO!" Kung Lao yelled as he watched the figure morph into Shang Tsung. Lao ran out the door to help his cousin, but arrived only to watch the sorcerer snap the monk's neck.

"LIU!" the younger monk screamed and then bolted up from bed in a sweat. In the darkness of the room, Lao got out of bed and headed towards a small bowl of water on a small table. Washing away the cold sweat, he waited for the pounding of his heart to subside. "Please…please let it be only bad dream, "Kung Lao silently prayed.

**(Scene Change)**

"Thank God, "mumbled Sonya as she reached the gates to the ranch house. The trip to and from the airport was hell on Earth thanks to that damn LA traffic. She wasn't sure if she was happy with how Liu insisted she leave her gun behind, but if she had it with her there would have been a few less idiots on the road.

She slammed on the brakes of her hummer when she saw her parents suburban parked next to Johnny's SUV. For a few seconds, Sonya considered going back out. She rather deal the traffic than her parents any day of the week. 'Coward, 'she thought to herself as she parked the hummer and got out.

Sonya opened the door to be greeted by a heavenly aroma coming from the kitchen. Investigating it, she found Althea checking something in the oven as pots on every burner steamed and boiled. Closing the oven, Althea turned and said with humorous smile, "There you are. You better go rescue Johnny before you father decides to pull out the torture devices."

Sonya asked tiredly, "Where are they and why are they here?"

Althea checked each of the pots as she answered, "Johnny was giving your parents the tour, my guess they should be in the gym by now. As for why they are here, I believe they said something about needing to see you about some tabloid pictures….whatever a tabloid is."

**(Scene Change)**

"And this is the gym where most of us train and spar, "said Johnny walking through the gym, "As you can see it's still a work in progress since much of the new equipment has yet to arrive and the floor needs to be redone."

"By us, "said Sonya's father, "does that include you?"

"Actually, since I was so busy with filming I didn't get a chance to use it as much as I should, "answered Johnny honestly, "However, since filming is done I hope to start using it on a regular basis."

"Surely, it would be easier for you to use a gym closer to your home, "said the older man, "That is unless you happen to live here as well…"

"Herman!" whispered Erica.

"Dad…Mom!" Sonya voice rang out from the doorway.

Erica ran over to hug her daughter as Major Herman Blade turned with a glare at Johnny and asked, "Just where do you live?"

Johnny nervously gulped as the Major waited for an answer.

"Well, "said Johnny, "I do have an apartment in town, but I also have a room here as well."

Herman Blade's eyes narrowed as he growled, "Just what is your relationship in regards to my daughter?"

Johnny opened his mouth to answer but Sonya beat him to it, "Dad leave him alone. If you want that question answered you can ask me." 

Major Blade turned to see his own daughter glaring at him with her arms crossed. "Sonya, please," Herman Blade started to say.

"Don't start Dad, "said Sonya, "You do this every time you think some guy is interested in me. I'm a big girl and can take care of myself."

Johnny Cage was definitely starting to get uncomfortable as the two Blades glared at each other, neither willing to back down. Well, at least he knew where Sonya got her temper from.

**(Scene Change)**

Back in the kitchen, Althea picked up a stack of plates she was going to place on the dining room table when a strong breeze filled the room. Next thing she knew, Fujin was picking up one of the lids and saying, "Something smells good."

"If you want you can join us for dinner, "said Althea as she headed to the door, "I have a feeling it's going to be interesting."

Fujin took it upon himself and grabbed the pile of silverware as he followed her out to the dining room. "Ah yes, "said Fujin with a smile, "I heard that Sonya's parents are visiting. Let me guess they don't approve of Johnny."

Althea shrugged as she started to set up the table, "Not sure, but then again I'm the last person to understand how 'normal' families work or act."

Fujin sat down as Althea took the silverware and started placing them next to the plates. "I'm not sure if you can call Sonya's family normal, "mused the windgod, "Unless I'm mistaken, her father is professional military as was her brother."

"Brother?" asked Althea fully understanding what the past tense in regards to Sonya's brother meant.

"We'll leave that to Sonya to explain if she wants, "replied Fujin and he then changed the subject, "Anyways, I'm not here to discuss the lovely lieutenant…"

"Colonel now, "interrupted Althea with a smile, "With the new command came a big promotion."

"Anyways, "Fujin continued, "I'm not here to talk about Sonya but you."

"What did I do this time, "moaned Althea, "If its about the swords tell Kronos I'm working on it, but it will take time since I can't create my own portals yet."

Fujin's eyes flashed briefly as he asked, "Did the Elder God of Time give you a mission?"

"So it's not about the swords…."said Althea with a nervous smile realizing her mistake.

"Let me guess you haven't told Rayden either, "said Fujin figuring out what she was talking about. Seeing the look on her face he continued, "You have to tell him. If he finds out…"

"How the hell am I suppose to tell him that I've been ordered by the same Elder God that nearly got me killed but instead pushed five hundred years into the future, that I have to go to the Neatherrealm to get back a pair of swords I traded so I could help save his life…"said Althea.

"Just tell him, "said Fujin calmly, "Maybe he'll help….no scratch that. And what was that about not being able to create portals…yet?"

"Why are you here?" said Althea.

"There seems to be a problem with you being declared one of Earth's chosen, "answered Fujin knowing she was changing the subject, "Apparently your status on Calorna hasn't been…."

The door swung open and Erica Blade walked in asking, "Is there anything I can do to help with….oh my." Seeing the wind god talking with Althea, Erica knew she was interrupting something but wasn't sure what. Not to mention the strangely dressed man looked familiar but that was impossible, it's been close to forty years….

With a shocked look of recognition when he saw Erica Blade, Fujin said to Althea, "We'll discuss this tomorrow and be sure to tell Rayden." The wind god walked out of the room and quietly closed the kitchen door behind him.

"Who was that?" ask Erica.

"The brother of someone I'm seeing, "said Althea trying to be honest without revealing too much, not sure how much Sonya had told her parents.

**(Scene Change)**

Sub-Zero wiped the sweat from his forehead as he rested leaned onto the shovel. The burial of his former clan in the rock hard frozen soil of the mountain was finally finished and now questions began to plague his mind. Where to go now and what to do? As he buried the remains he noticed that Sektor was not among the slain. Did Sektor betray the clan as Smoke did or was he just away on assignment when it happened? Smoke seemed to have a new master, one that apparently had no desire to see Sub-Zero harmed but why? What of the Lin Kuei itself? After centuries it was literally no more and no one but the killers and Sub-Zero knew this but for how long?

A sound of crunching ice and snow broke Sub-Zero of his thoughts. Someone was out there, he thought as he quietly put down the shovel and looked around. Another footstep in the icy snow and then a small avalanche rolled down a small hill followed by someone wearing a Lin Kuei student uniform falling head over heals. The student landed face down in the snow right at Sub-Zero's feet. The stranger's mask remained in the snow as he….no she looked up to reveal a very oriental face but with ice blue fear-filled eyes.

Sub-Zero didn't know if he was more surprised by the young woman's arrival or the fact that there was a female in the Lin Kuei uniform. The woman crawled backwards away from Sub-Zero hastily and stood in a flight or flight stance.

"Who are you?" asked Sub-Zero in Chinese assuming that this was her native language.

"None of you business, "the woman nervously replied in English just before sending a flow of ice through the ground to Sub-Zero. The older warrior easily dodged the amateur attack and grabbed the woman's arm, twisting it around her back. 

"Look, "he hissed in English into her ear, "I won't hurt you, I just want to know who you are and if there are other survivors."

The woman or more aptly the girl struggled for a few minutes before giving in to the obvious that she was no match for the veteran fighter. "The name given to me by the Headmaster is Frost, "she finally answered as she dropped her head in defeat.

**(Scene Change)**

Shang picked up one of the swords with an emotionless look on his face. "Yes, "he said, "These will do nicely."

A bandaged Quan Chi sitting at the other end of the table took a sip of from a goblet and said, "And there is two of them, most convenient."

"Have you figured out the medallion?" asked Shang as he re-sheathed the sword.

"I've figured out enough to be most useful, "said Quan Chi, "There is more there, I know but it will have to wait. A recent discovery I made on my way here makes it possible to make our move now with little risk."

"What discovery?" growled Shang

"Tell me, have you ever hear of the Dragon King," answered Quan Chi with a evil smile.

"Only that he ruled Outworld before Shao Kahn took it from him, "answered Shang.

"Took it by stealth, "added Quan Chi, "The Dragon King or his army has never been truly defeated in combat. I found his army and with this…" Quan Chi held up Shinnok's medallion with an evil smirk, "the Dragon King's army will be ours to command."

**The End…**

Next Time on MK: Echoes of the Past….****

"What is going on?" demanded Herman Blade as he followed his daughter. Sonya didn't respond until they reached the gym and then she said as she slid a martial arts poster to the side to reveal a digital pad, "Let's just say there is more to this place than a martial arts school."


	22. Chapter 21: Red Menace

**New Note: **I do apologize if I don't reply to every suggestion/question sent to me by review or email. Sometimes I concentrate so much on the story that I forget to mention them, especially if it's been sometime since my last chapter and/or review. Rest assured I do read every review and am more than grateful to all the suggestions given to me since I am only an amateur when it comes to writing. In the future I will try to include some mention of the reviewer's suggestions.

**Chapter 21: Red Menace**

Althea dragged out an old chest from her closet and opened it while trying not to sneeze. Not long ago, the Temple of Light sent her old things that they for some reason kept for over five hundred years. Opening it revealed her old leather armor from her days as a Calornian battlemage. 

When Johnny told her that there was to be a promotional demonstration for both the movie and school tomorrow, she nearly decked him. If it wasn't for the fact that she would have been expected to be in the spotlight alone if he didn't show up, she would have. The old leather armor was the only thing she could really fight in that with some polish looked good enough for such an event. Then again, with the advent of Sonya's parents showing up it most likely slipped his mind. Althea smiled as she thought how Sonya's father Ret. Major Herman Blade was still keeping his eye on the actor's actions in regards to his daughter and that same daughter about ready to toss her own father out the door because of it. Dinner last night was more fun than watching old Taja and Siro go at it. Althea's smile faded remembering she would never see her friends ever again.

Just as she got all of her armor unpacked there was a brief flash of light and then sitting at her small desk, Rayden said, "You okay?"

Althea turned and sat on the edge of the bed with a sad smile as she answered, "Just remembering. Where have you been?"

Rayden got up and walked over to sit next to her. Pulling her so she could lean onto him he said, "Around."

Althea looked up at him and said, "Around where?"

Instead of answering, Rayden gave the woman in his arm a light kiss on the head and said, "I assume you're no longer upset about Kuravan coming to Earthrealm."

"No, I'm still upset but not with you, "she answered honestly, "It's not like you're the one who invited him."

With his free hand, Rayden tilted her head upwards with a finger under her chin and then reached down to kiss her fully on the lips. Althea responded warmly but groaned in disappointment when she heard the knock at her door.

Rayden nearly growled as he backed away and said, "That's it…"

Althea pulled away before he had a chance to teleport them both out and said, "No you don't. As much as I hate to, I have that demonstration to prepare for but afterwards…" She kissed him lightly on the lips as she stood up and headed towards the door.

"I'll keep that in mind, "said Rayden with a half-smile, "but I've noticed you haven't gotten a bigger bed yet."

Althea opened the door to see an obviously upset, Erica Blade. Red teary eyes and stress filled face, gave a story of a woman who was nearing her wits end.

"Mrs. Blade what's wrong?" asked Althea with concern as she led the woman towards the desk's chair.

"I'm almost ready to kill both Sonya and Herman, "said the woman angrily but then tears started to fall as she wailed, "They are such idiots!"

Althea turned to Rayden only to see that he was already gone.

**(Scene Change)**

"What I do with my life is no longer a concern of yours!" yelled Sonya right into her father's face.

"If you want to completely ruin you military career then continue what you are doing…."

"Will you both SHUT-UP!" yelled Johnny Cage from upstairs. Standing behind him was a fuming Althea trying her best to calm a still upset Erica. The actor continued angrily as he walked down the stairs, "Don't you see what you are doing is nothing but hurting the one woman who loves you both?"

Both Father and Daughter turned to yelled, "Stay out…"

"No I will not stay out of this, "said Johnny angrily as he walked down the stairs, "Trying not to sound conceded as I use to be, but from what I heard most of the fighting seems to be in regards to what is going on between me and Sonya."

The actor then glared at Herman Blade and said firmly, "Look Major, I know I may not seem to be the best guy for your girl but the choice is up to her not you. If you don't like it, stick it." Johnny then turned his attention away from the fuming Major to concentrate on Sonya, "And you….If you don't mind I can fight my own battles. If you father has issues with me, let him take them up with me." Now glaring at both of them he continued, "Now I know there has to be other issues between the two of you that don't involve me. Now since this place is still under my name, I asked that both you either resolve your problems with each other or keep quiet about it or leave."

During Johnny's speech, Althea raised her head as if she sensed something. "Crap, "she said under her breath and then looked around to consider what to do. "Mrs. Blade I need you to do something for me, "Althea said calmly but firmly, "I need you and your husband to follow Sonya to the safe room."

"What?" Erica said.

"Just go to Sonya, "answered Althea who then yelled, "We got company!"

Everyone looked at Althea, Herman and Erica some what concerned with her sanity but Sonya and Johnny had a more serious look. "Take care of your parents, "said Johnny the discussion forgotten for the moment. Sonya was about to argue but then nodded. They were her family after all. "Mom, Dad follow me, "she said as she led her parents out of the room.

"What is going on?" demanded Herman Blade as he followed his daughter. Sonya didn't respond until they reached the gym and then she said as she slid one martial arts posters to the side to reveal a digital keypad, "Let's just say there is more to this place than a martial arts school." She entered a few numbers and a previously hidden trap door slid open not far from them and a set of stair leading downward could be seen.

The door closed behind them as they entered a small underground room. Monitors turned on automatically as Sonya sat down at the console. Images of different areas of the property were shown in each and as Sonya was about ready to start clicking on the keyboard the alarms went off. Sonya fumed and slammed the off button for the alarms as she muttered, "Now you go off."

"What the hell are those things, "asked Herman as the first of the red colored cyborgs appeared on the monitors.

**(Scene Change)**

After pulling a small earpiece from his pocket, Johnny looped it around and into his ear. The windows all over the building slammed shut with armor shield falling into place. "Damn its cybers, "said Johnny after listening to Sonya's report.

Althea said a single word in Calornian and then in English said, "Just great…my chi attacks are useless against those things and without my swords…."

"Perhaps this will help, "came Rayden's voice as he appeared holding a staff out to her.

Althea took the staff and smiled at the thundergod as she said, "How sweet…you remembered."

"Huh…no offense, but what good is a piece of wood going to do against those guys? "asked Johnny cracking his now glowing green knuckles.

Althea just smiled evilly and said, "You'll see."

Rayden just sighed, knowing that there was no way he was going to be able to prevent her from fighting, aside from kidnapping her, and technically there wasn't much else he could do to help….technically. Lighting flickered in his eyes as he watched Althea test the balance on the staff he gave her and saw when she 'noticed' that there was something…..special about it. She gave Rayden a questioning look and he nodded slightly to answer her unspoken question.

"You didn't by any chance…."started Johnny.

Rayden gave Johnny an ugly look before vanishing.

"When are the weapons you ordered suppose to arrive?" said Althea.

"Oh shut up, "said Johnny, "Who needs…."

**_!THUMP!CRASH!  
_**

The steel covered door blew in as the one of the cyborgs walked in. 

A green ball of energy knocked the intruder back out the door as Johnny said, "Let's take this outside!"

**(Scene Change)**

Sonya's fingers flew over the keyboard as she pulled up the ranch house's defenses. Once again she mentally cursed the others from keeping her from adding auto-rifles to the system but then everything went blank. "What the…"said Sonya as she tried to get the system back online. The centermost monitor flickered to reveal a sleek looking red cyborg's face and Sektor's voice came through the speakers, "Resistance if futile. Surrender and your conversion will be painless."

"Conversion?" said Erica.

Sonya picked up her own earpiece and microphone, to warn the other fighters, "Guys, Sektor has hacked the system!"

**(Scene Change)**

Althea raised her shields just before a laser blast landed and then swung her staff close to the ground to knock over the cybers closest to her. "What does she mean by hacked the system?" yelled Althea.

"It means…, "said Johnny as he did a round house kick, sending one of the cyborgs flying, "…it's a good thing we didn't…, "a green chi blast sent towards another cyborg knocking it away, "….let her put in those guns. This is getting us nowhere, we knock them down they just get back up. The blast us and your shield blocks it."

"True, "answered Althea holding a domed shield in place to give both her and Johnny some breathing space, "but I'll get tired eventually. Where do these guys get their energy?"

"Some sort of battery or something that gives them electricity, I guess, "answered Johnny.

"Electricity?" asked Althea flinching when another blast hit her shield.

Johnny tried to answer, "You know the stuff that powers the lights, TV…..domesticated lighting."

A strange smile crossed Althea's face when she heard this.

**(Scene Change)**

Feverishly, Sonya worked on the system before Sektor found the few hidden surprises she had put in when the others weren't looking. The monitors flickered as Sonya finally got control of the system. "Now to make sure he doesn't get anything he shouldn't, "she muttered as she continued clicking on the keyboard, not bothering to watch what was now appearing on the security cameras her full attention on the computer monitor right in front of her.

However, when she heard her mother's surprised gasp and her father cussed slightly in confusion under her breath, she looked up to see Johnny and Althea going full out against five red clad cyborgs. Sonya didn't know what cause her parents reactions until she saw Althea's barely visible shield go up around the pair. "How are they…."Herman started to ask but then stopped realizing that now was not the time for questions.

On the monitor they saw Althea stick her staff into the ground firmly as Johnny got as close to the house as her shield would allow. A nod of her head, the shield went down and Johnny dove for the doorway just before a bright flash of light with the sound of thunder stuck. The sound shook the house and was heard even in the underground room. The light bulbs exploded, the monitors imploded as Sonya jumped out of the chair to knock her parents to the ground and cover them. In seconds, there was nothing but darkness in the room with the occasional spark.

**(Scene Change)**

"I didn't mean for you to use all of it at once, "said Rayden tiredly as he watched Althea and Johnny try to force the trap door open.

Fujin was leaning against a wall trying not to laugh. Althea stood up to glare at the wind god, "Don't laugh. As was I suppose to know it would melt all the wiring in the house? Besides aren't you the one who is supposed to be helping us out now?"

Fujin smirked and replied, "Have you told Rayden about ….."

"Don't say a word, "hissed Althea with flashing eyes.

Johnny sighed, "Look either help get Sonya and her family out of there or leave so we can work."

Rayden frowned wondering what Althea hadn't told him, but agreed with Johnny; they had to get the Blades out of there. He turned to remind Fujin that as Sworn Protector it was up to him to help the chosen only to find his brother had already vanished. Sensing that Fujin was no longer even in the building Rayden sighed and then vanished to appear in the dark room right next to Sonya.

Lifting his hand, he summoned a small orb of lighting to illuminate the small room. "Need a lift?" he said with a smile.

**The End….**

Next Time on MK: Echoes of the Past…

Jax sat at his desk reading over some paperwork and looked up when he heard a knock at his office door. With a sigh he closed the folder and said, "Enter."

The door opened and in walked a yellow cyborg who said, "You wished to see me Major Briggs?"


	23. Chapter 22: Cameo

**Chapter 22: Cameo**

**(Lin Kuei Fortress hidden in the northern mountains of China)**

The small fireshivered as if itself was suffering from the cold that it's audience barely felt. The fire created more for light on that dark night rather than heat lit up the bare stone floors and walls, revealing a now older looking Sub-Zero and the teen-age Frost. Outside the shelter of stone, the wind howled in as the unseasonable strong ice-storm that forced even beings of ice to seek cover as it raged.

Fortunately, Frost knew where the food and other supplies were kept for those deemed either not ready or too important for the….upgrade to cyborg. During their two days together, Sub-Zero found out a great deal about Frost. Apparently, she witnessed the fight between the Headmaster and himself thus treated him as if Sub-Zero was the new leader of the Lin Kuei. After all that was how the grandmasters where chosen…only the strongest and/or the most cunning led and to prove oneself as such you had to kill a current grandmaster. The fact that he had not only killed the Headmaster, but took his medallion before killing him proved to Frost that Sub-Zero was more than worthy to lead the clan.

The girl was a product a centuries long Lin Kuei breeding program to ensure that certain abilities would breed true. Warriors with certain abilities were expected to….ensure that their skills were passed on to future generations of Lin Kuei. Frost was the daughter of one such family line that was fully under the control of the clan. Her mother married a warrior of the clan as did her mother before her. Any and all male children were to be snapped up by the clan for training at age seven, all female children were raised to understand that they were to be broodmares…warrior broodmares but broodmares all the same.

Not remembering much of his own childhood before the Lin Kuei, Sub-Zero wondered for a moment whether he and Frost might be related but his own almost pure western appearance and her oriental one hinted that if they were related it wasn't as full-siblings. Doing some mental math, he also figured that it would be almost impossible for his brother to be her father since he would have been still a student at the time and would have had no time for women and their father was already dead by the time it would have been required for Frost to be his half-sister from that end. His mother was NOT of Lin Kuei stock and was killed when she refused to meekly allow the Lin Kuei to take her sons. Sub-Zero bowed his head silently not wanting to show the anger and sorrow the memory of his mother's death brought to him. It was that, that kept him fighting to remember who he was….even though he lost that fight he still was never truly the Lin Kuei's either. His brother was already taken away and did not see how the Lin Kuei 'recruiters' cut down their mother but the younger brother did. That was the only memory that stuck through all of the Lin Kuei's attempts to wipe his mind of all memory of his mother and the life he had with her. Shaking his head slightly to get his mind on track, shadows of his past were not needed now and would only get in the way.

Frost….the Lin Kuei must have been desperate to even consider bringing in a female as one of the warriors or perhaps, as with the ideas of changing their warriors into cyborgs, the 'modern' thinking towards women fighters has developed to the point that they thought to test the possibility of a female Sub-Zero. From what Frost told him, it was shortly after his own defection she was taken away from her mother and aunts for training. The Lin Kuei already knew of her abilities but left them untrained until that time. If it was his style, Sub-Zero would have smirked. Perhaps it was after having their 'undefeatable' cyborgs beaten by Sonya during the Outworld invasion might have also changed their outlook towards women. Frost being the only female with the natural ability, courage and already partially brainwashed by 'family tradition' was no doubt selected as the perfect test subject.

Frost frowned and looked as if she wanted to say something so Sub-Zero prompted, "Is there something you wish to say?"

"When the storm blows over…."she started to say and then looked away.

"When the storm blows over I plan to head back to the United States, "answered Sub-Zero and he then frowned, "If you wish, I will see about taking you with me. There you can continue your training if you choose, but as a warrior not as an assassin."

Pride flared up in the ice blue eyes of the woman and she said, "Why not an assassin?"

Sub-Zero chuckled coldly and answered, "Have you not seen the results of being trained killer? It takes away your humanity and your only fate will be that a bigger killer will show up to eventually end your life. That is what happened to the Lin Kuei, they literally created their own executioner. Besides, the people I would take you to frown on needless killing and destruction."

Frost looked confused for a few seconds and was about to reply but Sub-Zero stopped her by saying, "Why don't you rest on it. The storm will no doubt blow itself out by tomorrow and you'll need all your energy to travel. Whether you plan to go to the States with me or not, you can't stay here."

Frost bowed and mumbled, "Yes, Sifu." She then reached over and unrolled her bedroll.

As she did this, Sub-Zero frowned. Where the hell did that little speech come from? It was as if he was years older than he truly was ….Sub-Zero pulled out the silver medallion and examined it again. Hopefully the school's resident 'expert' on magic would be able to shed some light on it. Looking down at the now sleeping Frost he quietly said, "Sifu?"

**(Los Angeles) **

In the darkened room, the only light shown on to two fighters…one a tall woman, with long blonde tied back hair wearing a dark gray leather outfit with dark-blue over shirt, her green-blue eyes fully focused on her opponent. Her opponent, a muscular man with wavy dark blonde hair, his crossed over white shirt bearing a stylized gold and black cobra over his left chest. His loose fitting black slacks shimmered in the light. From out of the darkness a familiar voice yells out, _"FIGHT!"_

The man struck out first, fast and hard with a punch to the woman's face. The woman dodges and counters with a quick punch to the man's mid-section. Acting as if he never felt the hit, he followed through with a kick which she blocked. Using his own strength and momentum, she nearly sent him flying into the ground, but he figured out what she was doing and turned in mid air to land on his feet.

A half-smile uncannily similar to the one Rayden often wore appeared on the woman's face when she saw this and it remained in place as she easily dodged the sudden furry of punches and kicks that was sent her way.

Not far from the lighted ring and in the shadows stood Johnny and Sonya watching the fight with the rest of the surprisingly silent audience. Johnny sighed and pinched the top of his nose that was between his eyes, then said, "Wish she didn't insist on 'playing' with them."

Sonya smiled and took a sip from her glass, taking care not to smudge her lipstick. Unlike Johnny and Althea, she was not part of the demonstration but still as a representative of the school she had to look nice. So once again she was wearing the good old stand by green dress. Which Johnny couldn't seem to stop…she pulled his other hand away from her behind one more time, this time giving his hand a painful twist as she responded, "You rather have her start blasting from the start? I know if any of the new students shows any…talent, she will be in charge of training it but I don't think we want the world to know its part of the curriculum."

Rubbing his wrist he replied, "I know…last thing we need is for people to think we're playing X-Men or something, but she doesn't have to…"

The room filled with a sympathetic 'ooooooh' when the male fighter in the ring landed face down in the mat and feet in the air. Once his legs landed heavily it was obvious that he was not going to get back up for a while without help.

"At least this time she didn't throw him at anyone, "mumbled Johnny as he headed to the ring.

The lights in the room lit up to reveal a full crowd of the most unusual mix of people. Known actors and producers mixed in with obviously pure martial artists and the occasional person in formal military uniform parted to allow Johnny by, as some were clapping, some discussing the unusual techniques that the woman used on the well know martial artist, and a few others were silent with thoughtful looks on their faces.

Althea knelt down by her opponent to make sure that he was ok. He was good for someone who was not one of the chosen. She sighed, "Such a waste….if he only learned to control that temper." She stepped back as the medics came up and checked him over themselves. After a few seconds, one of them looked over to Althea and nodded, "Only knocked out. He'll have a stiff neck and one hell of a headache when he wakes, but he'll be ok."

Althea stood up as she heard the announcer say that Ken 'Kobra' Masters would be fine and that the next demonstration bout will take place after a few minutes. She turned to see Johnny waving her over and headed over to him. The actor helped Althea out of the ring and said, "Nice show, but did you have to be so….rough?"

Althea shrugged and replied, "He got upset and decided to take the fight out of just an easy spar to the real thing….I complied."

"I was afraid of that, "said Johnny as he led her over to the juice table, "His former instructor mentioned that Ken was looking for a challenge but had a bit of a temper when actually getting one."

"Shame really, "said Althea as she took a sip of the lemon flavored water, "He has real talent and the signs of becoming a decent fighter…if he learns control."

"I know I'm going to regret this, but since you just said that one of the best US martial artists as only having potential, "Johnny said, "Just what do you think about…"

"Johnny darrrrrrling, "an effeminate man's voice rang out.

"Oh crap, "whispered Johnny as he ran off into the crowds. A tall black 'woman' wearing a red dress and a blonde wig walked up to Althea looking agitated. "Be a friend, "the 'woman' said, "Can you tell me where dear Johnny boy ran off to?"

Althea coughed on her drink and then pointed in the general direction that Johnny ran off to. The 'woman' tapped Althea's wrist with 'her' long red nails and said, "Thank you…oh Johnny!"

"That wasn't very nice, "said a rough sounding man's voice. Althea got her coughing under control and turned to see an older man with long light colored haired tied back into a small pony tail.

"Neither was him not telling me about this demonstration until yesterday, "she replied.

"Well Johnny was never one to give much warning, "the man said as he held his hands behind himself and laughed slightly, "See you a little later, just saw someone I need to talk to."

"Sure thing, Mr…"

"Lambert, "the man responded with a strange smile and as he turned to walk away he winked, "Just call me Chris. Why don't you walk with me and meet my friends. I know at least a few of them are interested in meeting a mysterious and beautiful woman who just happens to be one of if not the best martial artist I have seen in a long time."

In the distance, Sonya nearly choked when she saw who was talking to Althea and to what group the woman was being led to. Her eyes then automatically roamed the room, an old habit to look out for trouble in strange surroundings. Sonya eventually saw her parents talking with some of the military personnel, obviously old friends of her father's. She only hoped that her parents wouldn't mention some of the more unusual occurrences they recently saw and experienced.

Sonya then froze when she saw the general that once questioned her and Jax approach her parents with a strange man in a black suit that seemed to ooze power. She walked over to the group and was able to her the general introduce the man as Mr. Anubis to the others. Just as when she was going to speak, Fujin wearing a white silk shirt and dark slacks suddenly appeared at Sonya's armed and gently pulled her away. "Trust me, "the wind god said, "You don't want to go there at the moment."

Sonya pulled her arm out of Fujin grasp and hissed, "Why shouldn't I go talk with my parents."

"Let's just say, "said Fujin, "That you are not the only one in your family keeping secrets."

**(Temple of Light, China)**

Liu Kang yawned as the small boat pull up to the riverbank. Liu stepped off the boat and took his backpack from the old man who was kind enough to bring him to the temple. The trip from Los Angeles was anything but boring, but at least it was normal. No shadow warriors, no cyborgs…just stupid bureaucracy. Now all he had to do was figure out how he was going to get back to the States. Maybe he should have found a way to get in touch with Sub-Zero. He never seemed to experience problems like this.

The youngest of the temple students saw Liu and ran for the Temple to inform the masters that the prodigy son has returned. Gods, he hated this place. "The place isn't that bad, "said Fujin now standing next to Liu Kang.

Liu's head fell forward as he sighed, "I know you're the new Sworn Protector, but do you really have to do that. Rayden was bad enough…"

"I'll keep that in mind, "answered Fujin who then frowned, "just be careful something in the wind isn't right."

"What the hell is that…"said Liu as he looked at where Fujin stood less than a second ago only to see that the windgod was already gone. Liu muttered, "Just like Rayden."

"Liu!" came Kung Lao's voice in the distance and Liu then saw his cousin waving.

The younger cousin ran up and took Liu's baggage saying, "About time you got back. Stuck here with a bunch of old men and kids is just about to drive me insane."

Liu smiled but noticed the tired look in Lao's eyes. "Are you getting enough sleep?"

Kung Lao's smile vanished and he started to walk towards the temple as he mumbled, "Yeah."

Liu frowned but didn't push. He knew of Kung Lao's gift of seeing could be sometime more of a curse than the gift it was. It was one of the reasons why he wanted Kung Lao to return to the States with him. The techniques taught by the temple monks to control such gifts were just not working. Perhaps Althea or even Nightwolf might be able to help him, but only if Lao goes with him back to the US.

**(OIA Headquarters, Washington D.C.)**

Jax sat at his desk reading over some paperwork and looked up when he heard a knock at his office door. With a sigh he closed the folder and said, "Enter."

The door opened and in walked a yellow cyborg who said, "You wished to see me Major Briggs?"

Jax leaned back into his chair and said, "I understand you wish to pay us back for 'helping' you…why?"

In his mechanical voice, Cyrax answered, "Lin Kuei Masters promised that power to those who are completely loyal and only the most loyal volunteered to become cyborgs. I was one of those, but instead of power….my mind was enslaved and forced to only watch as my new form followed commands blindly."

"No offense, "interrupted Jax, "but didn't you follow orders blindly before…I thought that was in the Lin Kuei contract or something."

Cyrax nodded and continued, "True, we are raised from childhood that the Lin Kuei is family and family obeys the Masters….but the Masters betrayed us, stripping us of our humanity. As a cyborg I no longer had the choice to continue to obey the Lin Kuei or as Sub-Zero to leave….something I never even considered until it was too late. Your scientists have given me a second chance, I wish to take it."

Jax nodded in understanding and then pulled out some photos of other cyborgs…red ones attacking the ranch house. "You can start repaying us by helping us with some of your former friends. If we can we'll free them as well…"

Cyrax picked up one of the photos as said, "These are different….they don't seem to be like the ones created by the Lin Kuei, similar but different."

"Yeah, we noticed, "answered Jax, "We think they might be some sort of upgraded version. They seem to be interested in the martial arts school which will be opening soon or perhaps the instructors. I want you go there and help with security. That school is going to be this organization's main recruitment location since all of the instructors are familiar with….the weird stuff. You'll stay at the ranch house and we're preparing to send one or two of our techies to assist you."

Cyrax nodded and said, "I will be ready."

"Good, "said Jax and then under his breath, "Now if only Sonya would take it so well…"

**The End…. **

Next time on MK: Echoes of the Past…..

"No buts, "she (Erica Blade) hissed as she stood up, "Because of your delusions my father died at some stupid tournament and now I find out that my daughter nearly did the same! Why don't you fight you own f…."

**Author's note:**

Ok as promised I'm gonna try to respond to some of the reviews and personal messages I have received recently in regards to this story. Also, you might have seen this before but when I posted it someone 'kindly' reminded me it was against the rules of FanFiction to post Author Notes as chapters even if temporarily. I know they can get annoying if left in place but….nevermind lets get back to the the Q/As.

**Q:** How did Althea learn to speak modern English when she was from 500 years ago?

**A:** Reading over the chapter where showed up and taking into consideration suggestions that has been sent to me, I would have to blame it on Kronos, the Elder God of Time. Fujin is an okay guy, but he doesn't think that far ahead and Althea did have that private talk with Kronos at the Temple of the Elder Gods. When she accepted Earthrealm as her home, Kronos made sure she could continue to help those protecting that realm since it was part of the agreement. Don't forget, Althea is also his great-granddaughter one in which he has taken a personal interest in. (For more info on this, check out Mortal Kombat: Conquest. It's not completely spelled out like, but Kronos is Kuravan's father and Kuravan is Althea's grandfather….sooooo.)

**Q:** How are the modern Sub-Zero and Scorpion related to the Sub-Zero and Scorpion of MK: Conquest?

**A:** This Scorpion is the same Scorpion of 500+ years ago in spirit. In the TV show it was a corrupt soul and/or spirit that took over Siro's friend and changed him into Scorpion. As for Sub-Zero he is a descendent of the original Sub-Zero. The ice ability is hereditary and Scorpion has been hunting the family down for centuries as has the Lin Kuei to turn them into assassins. Each one was called Sub-Zero as a title and a means to erase their past connections outside of the Lin Kuei. Think cult brainwashing if it helps, but they didn't completely finish it on this Sub-Zero since they planned to change him into a cyborg anyways. As for the reason for Scorpion's sudden change from wanting to kill the Sub-Zero family to aiding the last known one is a story I've been kicking around as a possible side story to this one but I'm not sure yet. If I don't write that story, I will write at least a 'flashback' chapter in this one to explain it.

**Q:** Why wasn't Althea confused or shocked over another Sub-Zero/Scorpion 'set?'

**A:** Althea was kidnapped by Sub-Zero, but never saw him or got his name unless Rayden or the trio told her afterwards. Even then, she has a faint idea how the Lin Kuei works and understands how names/titles can be passed on over the centuries. As for Scorpion, she did recognize him and understood what he was…a killer for hire with the ability to teleport. Something she needed at the time and was willing to pay for his services. She may not like him, but she knows never to waste a weapon or tool. Not to mention, Scorpion already saved her when she and Subby fought the cyborgs for the first time in this story. That would raise a few questions as to whose side Scorpion was on. However she doesn't trust him, but is willing to work with him.

**Q:** Did Erica Blade and Fujin know each other and if they did in THAT way?

**A:** This is one of those questions which will be answered in the story if not the upcoming chapter then the one after that….I hope.

**Q:** What's up with all the red cyborg ninjas? Are you planning to bring in the Tekunin?

**A:** Yes, I am planning on throwing in the Tekunin (sp?). That's just a too good a tool not to use, especially since the Lin Kuei are the same as extinct at the moment. As for what their plans are, I'm not going to tell until later in the story.

**Q:** With all the damage, will they (Sonya, Johnny, etc) get better security and what about magical guards?

**A:** Now in regards to security, they had firewalls but Sektor got by them but since the whole system will most likely need replacing thanks to Althea's overkill Sonya will no doubt see that better 'mundane' defenses are in place. As for magical defenses…that is how Althea knew there were invaders before the security system did. She placed a light shield around the property to alert her whenever someone tries to sneak in, her mage senses only works on those who are actively working magic or similar (ex: Shang casting a spell/curse, Gods in general radiate 'magic' unless they hide it, etc) unless she places a 'warning system' in. It's not perfect, but the last time she tried anything stronger they sorta got stuck in time. Hopefully, I'll be able to get her back to learning to control Timegift of hers. Something that strong can't remain sealed forever. (hint hint)

**Q:** Here's an old one….Did Sonya really have a brother or did I make it up?

**A:** According to Sonya's Mortal Kombat card (an old one but if you want you can confirm this info in the Mortal Kombat Bible found on MKO) Sonya's know relatives include her father (Major Herman Blade), her mother (Erica Blade) and a twin brother (Daniel Blade) who is deceased. How and when Daniel Blade died is not mentioned, but the fact that there is no rank in his name my guess is either he never joined the military or was too young at the time of death to do so. I don't keep the storyline canon to the game, movies, etc but I like keeping as much of the canon info in as I can while still have enough freedom for writing.

**Q.** Why is Frost acting so 'green' and am I planning to have her betray Sub-Zero as in the game?

**A **As for Frost acting so 'green' it's because she is 'green' especially for a Lin Kuei. The only reason why they 'recruited' her was as a replacement for the 'traitor' Sub-Zero. Normally, in spite of her powers the Lin Kuei would not bother with a female but would have kept tabs on her in case she ever had any male children. (Remember in the TV series they only kidnapped boys.) She started her training late and it shows but she will have talent. As for the betrayal, you have to wait and see…sorry.

A big thanks to Oracle Thunder and Agent-G for all the questions and suggestions. Also a big thanks to everyone else who has reviewed my story so far, it's because of you all that I have been able to keep writing for so long and will be able to keep writing so please keep 'em coming.


	24. Chapter 23: Some Truths

**Chapter Twenty-Three: Some Truths **

**(Rented hall in Los Angeles)**

"So I heard you're in Cage's latest movie, "said once of the actors that Lambert led Althea to, "Have you received any new offers?"

Althea smiled and answered, "The only reason why I'm in that movie was as a favor for Johnny…I have absolutely no plans or desires to be in another one."

"Ahhhh, so you plan to teach at the school full-time, "said another actor who then smiled as he added, "That demonstration bout you had almost seemed real."

Althea's smile became slightly colder as she said, "If it was, he wouldn't be breathing."

The group suddenly went silent sensing by the look of her face and the tone of her voice that Althea was stating a simple fact. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Fujin talking to Sonya and then said, "Please excuse, I see someone I need to talk to."

As she walked towards Sonya and Fujin, a hand landed on her shoulder as a cold voice said, "So we finally get to meet."

Althea turned to see a dark haired man she didn't recognize but there was something familiar about him as well. "Do I know you?" she asked. Just then one of the military guests walked up and said, "Mr. Anubis, the general…"

"The general can wait, "Mr. Anubis said with a cold glare and a little something else which both the soldier and Althea sensed in their own way, "Can't you see I'm talking with the...lovely lady."

The soldier backed away slightly not really knowing why. Althea frowned recognizing fully what she sensed from this 'Anubis'. She said in a serious voice, "We can always talk later…when Rayden is around."

Anubis's eyes darkened over for a second as if in anger but he then smiled coolly, "Yes…that would be most wise. After all, I can see that neither the brothers nor Kronos has bothered to teach you to show respect…"

"Forgive me…Lord Shadow, "she said quietly so only Anubis could hear, "but I assumed you didn't want anyone here to know who or should I say what you really are."

Fujin sighed in relief when Sonya headed off to help Johnny get ready for his demonstration match, but the relief turned into near panic when he saw who Althea was glaring at. He walked over in time to hear Althea say, "Now if you will excuse me."

Althea turned and nearly walked right in to Fujin. "You alright?" asked the wind god who then looked to see that the Elder God of Shadows was now gone.

The woman nodded and said, "Yes, but I need to talk to both you and Rayden later…by the way where is Rayden? He was supposed to meet me here."

"Oh he'll be here, "said Fujin with a secretive smile, "he just needed..." A familiar form walked out from one of the decorative screens.

**(Los Angeles, Johnny's Condo later that night)**

Erica hummed an old tune as she washed dishes enjoying the sound of the heated football debate going on between her husband and her daughter's boyfriend. It seems that when Johnny finally told off Herman and Sonya, he acquired Major Herman Blade's respect….grudgingly.

Sonya's voice broke through the relative peace,"God damned son of a…"

"Sonya!" her mother admonished her daughter who was setting at the small table with a cell phone in her hand.

Ignoring her mother, Sonya continued to yell into the phone, "There is no way I'm gonna let that mother f…"

Erica reached over and took Sonya's phone and then calmly told who ever was on the other end, "Sonya will get back to you once she learns some self-control." The older woman then hung up the phone and turned to her now extremely pissed off daughter.

"Don't glare at me, "said Erica pointing at Sonya with the phone, "I know such language is sometimes the only way to get your point across but I do not want to hear such language as if it's a habit!"

Sonya huffed as she glared at the poor wall and then looked back at her mother in shock when Erica added, "You'll thank me someday, especially once you and Johnny have kids…"

"MOM!" exclaimed Sonya.

From the living room both Johnny and Herman turned towards the kitchen when they heard the loud 'MOM!' coming from there.

"I guess that's my cue, "said Herman as he got up out of the chair.

"You really don't have to go, I have a spare room…."said Johnny.

"Then where is Sonya going to sleep?"the old soldier asked and a strange smile appeared on his face when he saw Johnny's almost dismayed look. Yes to him, Johnny Cage was only a boy but then Sonya was only a girl and will remain so in his eyes until they either have gray hairs or have children….preferably after they were married…of their own.

Sonya hurried out of the kitchen into the living room interrupted any more conversation between the two men. "Sonya what's wrong?" asked Johnny as she walked pasted them. She turned to look at Johnny and it looked like she didn't know whether to be embarrassed or angry. "I don't want…"she started to say.

"Why don't we go out and talk elsewhere, "he said in a calm voice and then turned to ask, "You don't mind if…"

"No trouble, "answered Herman's unasked question, "We'll lock up as we leave."

Back in the kitchen, Erica sighed as she sat down at the table. As much as she hated to do it, she knew Sonya needed that little push.

"You know you're starting to act like your mother, "said Fujin leaning next to the sink after he appeared out of nowhere.

"So it is you, "said Erica in a monotone voice, "How could you…."

"I'm not the one who got her into this," interrupted Fujin, "She got herself in by showing up on that boat."

Erica closed her eyes and took a calming breath, "Just who…what are you? It's been over forty years and you don't look a day older."

Fujin chuckled at Erica's old habit of jumping from one subject to another. "Don't you mean fifty years?" he said but then the smile went away, "Look I know you can't forgive me for what happened but…"

"No buts, "she hissed as she stood up, "Because of your delusions my father died at some stupid tournament and now I find out that my daughter nearly did the same! Why don't you fight you own f…"

"Huh hu, "interrupted Fujin wagging his finger negatively "Remember what you told Sonya…"the wind god sighed, "Look I was trying to do someone else's job at the time and believe me if I could have fought I would have but your father was one of the best fighters at the time…not to mention fighting at the tournament is a tradition in your family…not as much as in Liu's…"

"So for some stupid tradition you would let a man die living his widow to raise their children alone with no support…"Erica started to say but stopped when her husband entered the kitchen.

Herman Blade placed his hand on his wife's shoulder but told Fujin, "I suggest you leave or explain everything."

Fujin walked over and sat down at the table with a sigh. He then said, "It's a long story…."

Herman pulled up another chair and said, "Start from the beginning."

"That may not be such a good idea; we would be here for the next week. How about I start where Erica's family get involved? Long ago there was a monk named Kung Lao who needed to find allies to help start a new school and defend Earthrealm…like what Liu and the others are doing now. He found two close friends and allies in Taja a reformed thief and Siro a former bodyguard," said Fujin who then looked at Erica, "After a while and many adventures, those two eventually married and had a child. Their grandson fought along side Kung Lao at the next tournament. Both died."

"What does this have to do with me and my family?" asked Erica.

"Taja's and Siro's line did not die out at the tournament. They had another grandchild too young to fight at the tournament at the time, a grand-daughter. She in turn eventually married and had children. Every fifty years since, a member of this family has fought in the tournament. Your family," answered Fujin who then sadly added, "Earth did not win another tournament until the last one, which Liu Kang won with the help of Johnny Cage and your daughter, Sonya Blade. As for your father, I do sympathize but I did not convince him to partake in the previous tournament…he volunteered. He knew what the stakes wereand all I did was showed him the way. I wish I could have helped him more but since it wasn't really my job…"

"Whose job was it? "ask Herman.

"My brother Rayden's, he was the Sworn Protector of Earthrealm at the time and should have given advice and some protection to chosen warriors at the tournaments, "answered Fujin hesitately, "Unfortunately, he was grieving over the believed death of someone close to him and was unable to fulfill his duties."

"This is not making any sense, "said Erica irritably, "Just what is so important about this damn tournament to risk losing so many lives over and exactly who are you and this Rayden person?"

Surprising both Erica and Fujin, it was Herman that answered, "If Earth lost ten tournaments in a row, all would have been lost. "

**(Rayden's home, The Heavens)**

Althea fell back into the living room wall where Rayden then held her in place with an open mouth kiss and the weight of his own body. After a few minutes he broke off the kiss and as she gasped for air he whispered in her ear, "Just what is this job that Kronos asked me about your progress on?"

With her mind still hazy from the kiss it took a few seconds for Rayden's question to sink in but when it did it was like ice water. Damn…what a time for that link to fade out. As she regained her bearings Rayden stepped back, turned around and walked off stopping next to the leather couch. Althea sighed as she walked up to hug him from behind. "The Elder Gods are not happy that I gave Scorpion those swords, "she said, "Kronos 'requested' that I get them back. If it's any consolation I haven't made a bit of progress."

Rayden placed his hand over one of hers as he said, "I thought I would be the one keeping secrets."

Althea laughed lightly into his back and then said, "Hey, it's your job. I was just afraid on how you would have acted when I told you. Lately, you haven't exactly been the fun loving and understanding deity I fell in love with."

At that moment, their link flared up opening up their emotions to each other in such a way that they could almost read each other's mind. Rayden's concern and slight anger mixed with Althea's worry and fear. Rayden said a single word in a long forgotten language when he felt that fear. He pulled himself out of her arms to around and pulled her in his arms. That was one thing he never wanted to feel from her, especially in regards to him…fear. He nuzzled her hair and took a deep breath. He had to admit his actions as of late haven't been the most endearing, but that was why they needed to spend some time together. The thundergod pulled back a little, placed a finger under Althea's chin to make her look up at him. "Let's change the subject, "he said less than an inch from her lips, "To more…interesting matters."

As he closed in, the feelings shared between the two changed to a more powerful one but then the one that Althea felt suddenly became mixed with something just as heated. She pushed him off with flashing eyes. "Just what do you think you're doing, "she breathed heavily both in anger and desire, "I can't believe that you think that after asking…you can't just…." With a huff, she turned unable to continue and the felling of humor she was now receiving from Rayden only made her angrier. She didn't even bother to try to suppress the faint blue flames that started to appear around her form.

Rayden stepped back but couldn't keep the grin from appearing on his face. Althea gave a whole new meaning to the term 'playing with fire' and he did not feel like becoming mortal at the moment. Althea turned back around to glare at him and growled, "Just what are you laughing at?"

"Unless I'm mistaken, "Rayden answered with laughter in his voice, "It's usually me that's been getting angry lately."

"Tah! "Althea said as she dropped her head and her flames disappeared. The anger was still there but more of a frustration then an all out rage.

"It seems that whenever there is a sudden fluctuation in our bond, "Rayden mused as he sat down on the couch, "One of us gets….emotional."

Althea joined him on the couch and said, "What was it that Johnny said in that one argument with Sonya...something about constant PMS?"

Rayden's smile vanished as he glared lightly at the woman. At the same time a smile appeared on Althea's face. "Don't look at me, that is a strictly Earth woman problem, "said Althea, "Earth may be my realm now but I'm still Calornian by birth."

**The End….  
**  
The white haired woman added, "A little something else that may interest your mistress--the prison to your homerealm and a possible key to its release."

**Note:** Is it just me or does anyone else experience a problem with words being taken out when saving? Anyways, the next chapter should be up soon already have half of it done.


	25. Chapter 24: Time and Shadow

**Chapter Twenty-four: Time and Shadow **

(Ashra's domain, The Neatherrealm)

The sound of soft footstep invaded the silence of the cavern, causing Scorpion's eyes to narrow as he turned to see the white clad woman known as Ashra walked towards him. Ever since his capture, Scorpion trained and trained hard in the region of the Netherealm that Ashra claimed as her own. He was disgusted with how easily he was captured by Quan Chi's followers. Although he would never show it in words the specter was grateful for Ashra's assistance both in rescuing him and allowing him a place to train in secret.

"One of Earthrealm's gods has contacted me inquiring about you and the swords, "said Ashra without bothering with a greeting.

Scorpion had a good idea as to which god it was and asked, "Did you tell him?"

"I told him an edited version of what happened, "said Ashra calmly but the feel of humor was there in her Victorian voice, "He didn't seem too happy about the news. The rumors are the Elder Gods are not too happy with godslayer since she gave you the swords."

Scorpion closed his eyes briefly to consider Ashra's words. He had little care as to what the Elder Gods wanted, however both the godslayer and the last true Lin Kuei would. Both suffered at one point or another because of him both he now owed a debt. The younger Sub-Zero for showing him even if unknowing the truth of his constant hunt for revenge upon the Sub-Zero line, the godslayer for the trust she gave him but he failed to uphold. If it was in his nature, Scorpion would have snorted in derision over his feelings. During most of his unnatural existence, the specter wouldn't have concerned himself with either. True he would have stopped hunting the Sub-Zero line, but idea of actually helping Sub-Zero would have never crossed his mind.

"If you speak with the thundergod again, inform him I will be returning the swords to the godslayer one way or another, "Scorpion said. As the specter turned to walk away Ashra's kriss briefly glowed--unnoticed by both the specter and the huntress.

**(The Forbidden Forest, Outworld)**

Lillith growled to herself, for days she had watched Shao Kahn and all he did was sit on his damned throne thinking. Not a word was spoken by the Emperor during this time. She swiped angrily at a branch as she flew over the trees; both Kuravan and Nitara were upset by the lack of information. Tonight she was nearly discovered by Kahn's guards and was forced to leave until things calmed down at the palace. Just when that human, Kano, was to show up to report about the war with the Edenians.

The vampire swooped down and landed lightly on a tree branch. Without warning the wind died down to nothing and the inhuman sounds of the forest went silent. A woman's voice rang in the silence, "Perhaps you should consider a career change."

Lillith sent her claws automatically in the direction of the voice, but found herself frozen in place looking ata strange white hair woman sitting on the large branch the vampire had landed on. The woman wearing the same type armor as the vampire except in black and instead of kamas she carried a pair of swords on her back. "Is that anyway to treat someone whose here to save your hide, "said the woman from behind her scarf.

Lillith would have growled but found herself unable even to do that. The strange woman jumped from the branch and landed gracefully on the ground below. She looked up and with a wave of her hand; the vampire was able to move once again. Carefully Lillith glided down to stand not far away from the woman. "What do you mean? "hissed the vampire.

A white eyebrow rose but the woman said, "I'm going to tell you what exactly is going to happen at the palace and you're going to tell both your employers. You might want to tell your master first, he's most likely not to kill you when you tell him where you got the info from."

The vampire growled with eyes glowing red and prepared to launch herself in attack when the woman drew a circle of light-blue flame in the air with her finger. In the circle an image of a silver orb floating in magma appeared. The white haired woman added, "A little something else that may interest your mistress--the prison to your homerealm and a possible key to its release."

All anger left the vampire's face as she instantly recognized orb from mental images given to all Vampires in their race's search for it. "Where…"she said then changed her mind to ask, "What do you want in return?"

"Nothing much, "answered the woman as the flames and the image they held faded, "Just tell Nitara that once she has freed your realm, I recommend to consider seriously aiding Rayden's little group. Even you must have noticed he's much more trustworthy than Kahn, Onaga or even Kuravan."

"Who's Onaga?" asked Lillith.

"Trust me you don't want to know, "answered the woman as her eyes flared briefly.

**(Previously abandoned palace filled with a mummified army, location unknown)**

"So it is agreed?" asked Quan Chi.

"Yes, "answered Shang Tsung as the pair walked past the kneeling corpses, "I will help provide the souls for these empty husks and in return you will see that they remain loyal to both of us. Soon, we will have what so many have sought for eons…power over all the realms."

Quan Chi growled slightly and then said, "We must take care; if anyone even gets a hint of our actions too soon all will be lost. Even the Elder Gods may interfere if they knew that…"

"They won't know if it remains unsaid, "hissed Shang Tsung and then his hand fell on the hilt of the sword at his hip, "and once they do find out it will be too late. It's the Emperor I worry about; he doesn't need an excuse to interfere only a foul mood and even with these swords he will be difficult to take down."

"So some additional power is needed, "mused Quan Chi as he looked at the newly forming soul-nado and tapping on the medallion tied to his belt, "Perhaps it's not the quantity of the souls you are using but the quality."

**(Temple of the Elder Gods, inner chambers)**

Kronos frowned as he walked down the endless hallway. Fujin's report of the Elder God of Shadow's presence at the demonstration and his conversation with Althea concerned him. So far the council was still in favor of a hands-off approach in regards to the godslayer as in all things. Kronos being related to her gave him more leeway in regards to his interactions with the mortal but Anubis should have had absolutely no reason to speak with the woman. It was one thing to continue the balance of the realms by aiding Earthrealm's chosen with a little push here or there, but what Anubis had done was against all what the council stood for: a neutral standing to ensure that a balance is kept. Neither good nor evil should ever out weight the other and no single realm should truly be stronger than the others. The Elder God of Time frowned even deeper, ever since Shinnok's betrayal all those centuries ago it seems that this has been forgotten by the council as a whole.

The Elder God of Time stopped at one of the millions of unmarked doors that lined the endless hallway. The door opened without being touched and Kronos entered the room. The room itself was in an ancient Egyptian motif favored by pharaohs and other nobles of that era for their tombs. Images of Ra, Set, Osiris and Isis lined the walls; gods that no longer existed and only their images remained.

"What brings you to My private chambers Brother Time?" came a growl from a shadowed door.

Kronos turned to the doorway and answered, "I wish to know why Brother Shadow sought out My great-granddaughter."

A jackal headed figure stepped out into the light and with a bark said, "So you consider her Your great-granddaughter…how many grandchildren do You have ten, a hundred, thousands…what makes her so special aside from being a godslayer?"

Kronos wondered with concern why Anubis was wearing his form from the days before he became an Elder God, but decided not to mention it. Instead he replied, "Contrary to popular belief, I do have a sense of family. I hold each of My children dear, even if they prove less than what I hoped. I try my best to keep track of all My descendents and Althea is one that is proving herself even greater than what I or anyone could have expected."

Anubis chuckled coldly and then said, "Even after she gave her immortal killing swords to a creature that exists only to kill You can say that You still favor her?"

"You Yourself was once a creature of death and yet You have earned your place among the Elder Gods, "countered Kronos.

"I led the souls of mortals to their proper places after they died…I did NOT kill them, "growled Anubis, "And that is beside the point, she should have never even survived her encounter with…"

"Enough!" Kronos exclaimed for the first time with anger, "That has already been decided upon by the council over five centuries ago. Althea has proven that she has no intention of being a threat and has in fact been instrumental in stopping one who has seen to the destruction of dozens of gods that We know of." Then more calmly Kronos continued, "I will admit that she is far from perfect, but I know not a single mortal or immortal who can claim that distinction."

Anubis growled and attempted to move away in contempt only to find himself frozen in place. "You forget _Brother _Shadow, I am one of the original Elder Gods and have had a great deal more time to learn a few…tricks, " Kronos said coldly, "It is rare that I find a use for these…tricks, and believe Me You do not want to be on the receiving end of the more brutal ones. Leave Althea alone…and don't You dare to even think of taking your revenge upon Rayden or anyone that Althea holds dear. If You feel they have done something that demands the attention of the Elder Gods bring it before Sister Water and She will determine what is to be done."

Kronos then turned and left the room. As the untouched door slamming behind the Elder God of Time, Anubis shook free of whatever was holding him with a snarl. He turned to slam his fists onto his desk causing it to shatter under the force of his anger.

"I sensed your anger my friend, "came a warm and calm man's voice as the room brightened, "Do you wish to tell me what happened…"

**(Lost Temple, somewhere in the jungles of Earth) **

Kuravan looked up at the ancient pyramid without emotion considering the possibilities of this becoming his new base of operations on Earth. The crunching sound of footsteps on old gravel interrupted his thoughts and he turned to see both Arianna and his new follower, Kabal, walking up to him. It was Kabal who brought this place to Kuravan's attention and so far it seemed to hold the most promise. So far Kabal has proven himself a useful guide in places normally not seen by the majority of the native population of this realm.

"This will do nicely, "Kuravan said and Kabal nodded in acknowledgement. The deity continued, "I sense you have a desire for revenge…so in returned for your continued service I will do what I can to assist you in your endeavor. Just be aware I must not appear to be aiding you directly due to rules I must abide for the present. However, I can advise you…"Kuravan stopped for a second as if a thought came to him and he then turned his attention to the woman, "Arianna, please find me Lillith she is late with her report and while there pay the Emperor a visit…a friendly one."

Arianna bowed and walked off. Once she was out of sight, Kuravan said to Kabal, "I feel it is time you learn a part of your true heritage and the truth behind the Black Dragon." Kuravan then held out his hand and a smoke filled flame filled his palm only to disappear as the Black Dragon medallion appeared in its place, "You see the 'clan' Kano created in rebellion against the Red Dragon is nothing compared to the true Clan of the Black Dragon."  
**  
**Unseen in the jungle, Arianna watched and listened as Kuravan described the 'honor and great leadership' of Jola and how Kabal was a descendent of Jola's older brother who died before seeing his son…killed by the treachery of the Red Dragon. Arianna snorted, knowing Kuravan was being creative with history…again…to ensure a loyal follower. She then turned to continue her appointed tasks and to run an errand of her own on the way. As much as she disliked the idiots she was going to see, what she was going to gain in the end was more than worth the headache.

**(Johnny's condo, Los Angeles) **

The front door swung open into the living room with a hurried Johnny walking in. He headed to the coffee table to pick up the wallet that he had forgotten earlier. Sonya leaned against the open doorway with a slightly amused look on her face. As Johnny picked up his wallet he could barely hear the voices from the kitchen…all three of them. 'What in the world could Fujin be talking with them about?" thought Johnny as he headed to the kitchen door. He opened it in just in time to hear Sonya's father say, "If Earth lost ten tournaments in a row, all would have been lost. "

"He…they knew, "whispered Sonya standing right behind Johnny nearly causing him to jump in surprise. Johnny looked over his shoulder and held a finger over his lips to indicate she should remain quiet.

**(The Kitchen)**

"That's correct, "said Fujin recovering quickly from the surprise.

"You have got to be kidding, "mutter Erica in disbelief but Herman's serious look made her think twice then she asked, "Who told you this?"

Herman Blade looked away and said, "I…shouldn't even had said that…its classified.."

The kitchen door swung open and an angry Sonya barged it as Johnny recovered from being forcibly knocked aside. "Don't give us that cop out, "Sonya said, "Classified my…I was there…Me and Johnny most likely know more about the tournament than anyone with the exception of Liu, Rayden and Fujin. This includes you do so spill it Dad."

Fujin coughed into his hand trying not to laugh and acting as if he knew that the pair was listening in. The cough earned him the deadly glare of the Blade family which made him think, 'Ooookay, think I'll go now.' The god of wind then vanished in a puff of air.

"Wish I could do that sometimes, "mutter Johnny thus earning him his own set of glares. "Hey don't look at me…he's the one with the secret to share, "said Johnny pointing to Herman Blade.

Ret. Major Herman Blade then stood up with full dignity and said, "I have already said too much. You might know more about Mortal Kombat but I'm still not at liberty to discuss it. Col. Sonya Blade, you of all people should understand this." Sonya's anger deflated and she nodded once, but then said, "You forget, Major, I rank you and have full clearance. One thing you might not even know is that anyone who is on the school's staff has also been given clearance in all things involving the OIA…including and especially Mortal Kombat." Sonya then turned to her mother and continued, "Mom, I hate to ask this but could you please leave the room…you're the only one here that can't hear this from Dad."

Johnny rubbed the right side of his forehead, wondering what he was getting into dating Sonya. He then sighed and said, "Why not just let her stay, she's going to find out later anyways." Erica gave Johnny a thankful look just before giving her husband and daughter each a glare.

"I'll have to get permission…"protested Herman but stopped when Sonya picked up the cell phone from the table and handed it to him saying, "Call whoever you need to and get the ok. If they try to refuse hand the phone over to me."

The End….

Next Time on MK: Echoes of the Past….

"So it is agreed, "said Arianna as she took the small vial from Quan Chi.

It was Shang Tsung who answered, "Agreed…you keep the gods of Earthrealm distracted while we deal with the…"


	26. Chapter 25: Third Member of the Alliance

**Note: **I am so sorry for the delay. Unfortunately I just couldn't seem to get this chapter written in a way that I wanted. Forget that the whole story is not going the way I originally planned. (sigh) So the next few chapters may take a little while since I'm going to see about getting this story back on track or perhaps think up a new track. 

Chapter Twenty-Five: Third Member of the Alliance

(Shao Kahn's Throne Room)

Kahn looked down from his throne of iron and bone onto the kneeling woman. The faint aura of the Neatherealm still about her gave proof of what she truly was. The Emperor reached down to cup the woman's chin and force her to look up at him. Black spiked hair and red tinted eyes did not hide her similarities to Rayden's woman. However, as appealing as this one was he would not take the risk of accepting what was offered aside from the information.

"Tell your Master, "Kahn said in a cool voice, "That I will consider his words. He will have my reply in two days." He then released her chin and waved his dismissal as he leaned back into the throne.

Arianna stood up and bowed respectfully before leaving. Once out of the throne room, she shivered in disgust. She was more than happy that Kahn decided not to accept the 'services' Kuravan ordered her to offer. The woman then pulled out her crystal to open a portal…she had another appointment to keep…one her 'master' was unaware of.

**(Mummy filled ruins)**

Shang Tsung and Quan Chi walked pass the kneeling corpses away from the now larger soul-nado. The sound of a portal opening caused both of them to go into a defensive stance, their respective energies flaring around their hands. In the large door way, the portal formed and out stepped Arianna. Her steel tipped boots clicked loudly as she walked towards the two sorcerers while the portal closed with a hiss.

The two sorcerers backed down…slightly. "Tsk! Tsk! Tsk! Didn't you miss me?" said Arrianna sarcastically, "After all it was you two who invited me here."

Quan Chi said nothing as he pulled out a vial filled with what look to be purple lighting and handed it to Arianna.

"So it is agreed, "said Arianna as she took the small vial from Quan Chi.

It was Shang Tsung who answered, "Agreed…you keep the gods of Earthrealm distracted while we deal with the Champion and Emperor."

Arianna smiled as she looked at the so precious vial and then said, "Just be careful and don't cut yourselves with those swords."

"Just do your…."Quan Chi started to say but the sound of a stone hitting a wall filled the air.

The three of them looked around and it was Shang Tsung who saw the flash of yellow as someone raced behind rubble. He sent out a blast of flame in the direction of the spy. The rubble exploded knocking the person into the wall. Shaking his head, Scorpion stood up and then dusted himself off.

"Hmmm…., "said Quan Chi with a smirk, "I wonder if these swords work on specters as well as they do on immortals."

Shang smiled evilly as he drew his sword and said, "One way to find out."

Arianna just turned and walked off. Looking over her shoulder as a portal opened, she said, "Enjoy yourselves and contact me when you want me to start my part."

Neither sorcerer replied or even acknowledged what Arianna said as they continued to walk over to where Scorpion stood in a now defensive stance. Suddenly, Quan Chi sent a green flaming skull shaped blast at the specter. Scorpion tried to teleport out of the way only to find out that for some reason teleportation was not possible and instead got slammed into to wall by the blast. He dodged a second blast by falling to the ground. Scorpion then rolled into a knelling stance and retaliated with a blast of flame back at the pale face sorcerer. Shang Tsung knocked Scorpions blast aside with his own fireball before it reached Quan Chi. Scorpion stood up and with a "Get over here!" sent his roped spear towards the demon sorcerer. Shang dodged and with his sword sliced through the rope as it passed by. The demon sorcerer then started running towards Scorpion with his sword ready. Scorpion was about to counter Shang's obvious attack but found himself knocked down to the ground by another of Quan Chi's skulls. Scorpion looked up just in time to see the sword falling towards him…and then suddenly stopped just inches from his head.

The specter rolled out from under the sword and into a stance. Looking around he noticed both sorcerers seemed frozen in place…even the soulnado in the distance had stopped moving. As Scorpion looked around and saw a woman standing in the doorway, wearing black and gray armor similar to his own in design. Scorpion went into a defensive stance and with flames flaring up in his eyes as he recognized the white haired woman from so long ago.

The woman crossed her arms over her chest as she huffed and said, "Nice to know I made such a good impression. Then again you always did have a long memory with some things if not others."

Scorpion remained silent as he tightened his fists waiting to see what the strange woman would do.

She sighed and shook her head as if in disappointment, "I'm here to help not harm…You know getting caught by those two wasn't the brightest thing to do."

Scorpion's eyes narrowed and he finally said, "You've already helped now…"

"Ah, no I haven't, "she said tilting her head slightly, "The moment I leave you'll find yourself in the exact same spot you were when I first got here. Catch!" She tossed a pair of metal spiked gauntlets. Scorpion caught them and as he examined them he noticed that the palms of each had two metal strips running across them with a gap between them. He carefully put them on noticing that they fit as if made specifically for him. Once they were on a strange feeling came over the specter as if he wore them before.

"What are these?" he asked.

An almost sad look entered the woman's crystal blue eyes just before she answered, "Just another little left-over from a long forgotten war. They were once worn by a man whose death restored a god's sanity. It's a shame that his soul was cursed by another for his sacrifice."

Next thing Scorpion knew he was once again on the ground with a blade coming right down at him. With a strangely hissing clang he caught the blade between his palms. The specter then rolled out of the way, twisting the sword from the sorcerers grasp and tripping Shang Tsung with a leg sweep. As the sorcerer fell Scorpion went with the momentum into a kneeling stance and sent a blast of hellfire at Quan Chi who summoned a wall of skulls to block it. As both sorcerers readied another attack, Scorpion removed his mask to reveal his true face and then with a roar created a wall of flame between him and his foes. When the flames diminished, the specter was gone.

"You told me that teleportation wouldn't be possible!" snarled Shang as he sheathed the sword.

Quan Chi just growled in frustration and then said, "We must make our move sooner than expected."

**(Shao Kahn's Throne Room)**

Shao Kahn growled as Reptile knelt before him. The last know member of his kind, he now served the one who caused he unique standing. The report the creature gave him wasn't a good one; it seems that the apparent docility of the two sorcerers was just an act. Nothing surprising but the fact that they were working together could be a problem especially since the duplicate godslayer seems to have made a bargain with them. An evil smirk crossed the emperor's face and he then said, "Take a message to Kuravan on Earthrealm. Let's see what happens when he finds out what his _loyal_ servant has been doing."

Reptile stood and bowed before leaving. Rieko stepped out from behind the throne and asked, "Do you wish for me to take care of the traitors?"

"No, "answered Kahn, "Let's play along for now and see how far they get. Make preparations for their…visit."

**(Johnny's Condo)**

Sonya placed her head on the kitchen table and sighed. She was just too tired to be angry with her parents. And liked Johnny said, they weren't the only one's keeping secrets. But so help her next time she sees Fujin…

The door swung open and someone sat in the chair across from her. "You going to be ok?" asked Johnny as he laid a hand on Sonya's arm. The woman just nodded without bothering to raise her head.

"So what that your father worked for a special ops team investigating the Mortal Kombat tournament and how the communist Chinese government could use it as a recruiting ground…I just wish I could have seen their faces when they found out what it really was about. And it's not like your mother tried to keep your family history a secret…she was most likely trying to forget about it herself, "Johnny stopped for a second when Sonya looked up just enough to glare at him and then he said, "I guess I should stop talking about it now."

Sonya finally sat up and sighed, "No your right. I of all people should know how the military works and understand the pain my mother went through when she found out her father died in a martial arts tournament. Guess I should be happy she doesn't know how Shang enslaved the souls of the defeated fighters." A pained look crossed her face as she finally understood that one of the souls freed by Liu when he defeated Shang was most likely her own grandfather and who knows how many of her other ancestors. Her thoughts were interrupted when she felt Johnny taking hold of her upper arms to pull her up from the chair.

"Look its late, "he said as he led her out of the kitchen, "And we both have to get up early see your parents off and to meet with Jax's little group at the ranch house."

Once they reached the guest room he released her and bid her a good night. As he turned Sonya grabbed his arm and said, "Thanks for everything." She then reached up to kiss Johnny lightly on the lips. Johnny took full advantage and deepened the kiss as he pulled her closer. Once the kissed ended their foreheads touched and he said, "Good night." Johnny then walked down to his own room as Sonya went into the guest room. When both doors closed they both leaned back onto the door and closed their eyes briefly.

**(Rayden's Private Domain)**

With a small yawn Rayden turned over in bed and reached over only to find himself alone in bed. When this sunk in he woke up fully and sensed that Althea was slightly amused with something. Since the last flare up in their link, they agreed to keep both sides completely open in the hopes of stabilizing it. Rayden got up and got dressed before heading out to find her. There in his den/library he found her behind a stack of large books reading a single paperback. Not able to read the title from where he was standing, Rayden asked, "Find anything interesting?"

"Not sure…I was doing some research on how to create my own portals or at least be able to teleport myself and I found this hidden behind some of the books. I started reading it and found out I just couldn't put it down, "she put the book face down on the desk and got up to hug the thunder god, "It really didn't make any sense but…what do I know. I'm still trying to get over what Deep Thought said about the 'ultimate answer'."

Rayden sighed, realizing just what book she was reading and cursed the day he bought that damn thing. Although, the fact it kept her away from her research he guessed it wasn't so bad. The longer it took her to find her own means of transportation the easier it was going to be on him trying to keep her out of trouble.

Althea glared up at the thundergod when that thought crossed his mind as if she knew exactly what he was thinking. Rayden looked down with an almost completely innocent look with the exception of a raised eyebrow. "You know with our link completely open as it is…even if we can't read each other's thoughts it's the next best thing, "she warned, "Can you guess what I'm thinking now."

Rayden's innocent look changed to a mischievous one. "Perhaps, but I really have to get to work, "he said and then grabbed the back of her head. Then he kissed her hard enough to make her grab his over-shirt with a moan and just as suddenly the thundergod vanished. Althea shook her head, took a deep breath and then went back to her research, ignoring the paperback the best she could.

A knock at the door surprised her, knowing that only a few beings had access to this realm. Assuming it was only Fujin being polite for a change; she got up and headed to the front door. Opening it she was surprised to see who it really was….

"You should invite me in you know, "said Kronos.

Althea stepped aside and said, "Make yourself at home. Would you like anything to drink?"

Kronos walked in and looked around in curiously. "I see you haven't had a chance to make your own little changes to the place."

"Look I'm sorry that I snapped at you the last time and I am working on getting…"Althea started to say.

Kronos interrupted, "Things have changed."

"Look I know Scorpion lost the swords to Quan Chi and even I admit that is a big deal, "Althea said, "Even now I was working on a means…"

"To provide yourself the means to travel between realms, "said Kuravan as he tossed her a crystal, "I assume you know how to use this."

Althea caught the crystal and with a curious look said, "Ok…now I'm worried. What's the catch?"

Kronos smiled as he said, "It gets worse. I'm also here to give you your first… as you would say, time-gift lesson. As for the catch…let's talk about that some other _time_."

Althea sat down on the couch and said, "Please tell me that means I'll be getting that seal removed."

Kronos frowned and replied, "Not right away. It is bothering you?"

"Sometimes, "Althea answered, "It feels like something is tied down so tight that it's cutting off circulation but to what…" She shrugs.

"Anything else?" Kronos prompted.

"I think it might be interfering with the soulbond link, "said Althea looking away as if embarrassed, "At first we thought it was a combination of being separated for so long and our constant use of shielding in order to function normally. But…I think that the seal may also be adding to it. The fluctuations weren't nearly as bad before getting it but once it was put into place it's gotten noticeably worse."

"Hmmm, "mumbled Kronos as he took a long look at the sitting woman and then sighed, "It's hard to tell but you might be correct…that just means we need to get that gift of yours under control sooner than originally planned, not only for your sake but to ensure that Earthrealm's God of Thunder is able to continue with his duties."

The Elder God of Time then sat down next to the woman and took both of her hands. She looked at him with a raised eyebrow and said, "Let me guess you're gonna teach me the fast way." Althea sighed when Kronos nodded and then she added, "Ok… but you're going have to explain to Rayden why I have such a big headache."

**The End…**

Next Time on Mortal Kombat: Echoes of the Past

"Sub-Zero?" asked Johnny not believing how much the 'young' fighter had aged in the few weeks he was gone.


	27. Chapter 26: Betrayal

**Note:** Someone mentioned that my story is a little complex especially since I don't update very often. So if you are interested I have included a recap at the end of this chapter. If not interested or you are keeping up in spite of my slow updates just skip it.

**Chapter Twenty-Six:** **Betrayal**

**(Ranch House, Late Afternoon)**

"Damn, Sonya, "said Jax as read over the electrician's estimates and descriptions of damage, "What sort of party were you having here?"

"Don't start with me, Jax, "answered Sonya leaning against the hummer, "Just tell me how long until we can move back in."

"Well, depends…do you just want to replace the existing stuff or do you want to upgrade?" asked Jax.

"No guns, "interrupted Johnny as he handed both Jax and Sonya some colas.

"Look man if…"started Jax.

"No guns, "repeated Johnny forcefully, "Hand held stuff I don't mind but automated is just asking for trouble with Sektor's crew running around. And don't give me that look, if Liu was here he would say no even to hand guns."

"I agree, "came an slightly echoing mechanical voice, "Computer controls should be kept to a minimum due to Sektor's hacking abilities. Even sensor and alarms would not be completely reliable if fully reliant on computers."

"So everything old school, then, "said Jax with a thoughtful look.

"Not necessarily, "answered Cyrax.

The sound of a motorcycle driving up the driveway interrupted the conversation. Everyone turned to see a familiar blue and black motorcycle drive up with not only the driver but a passenger riding.

The motorcycled stopped behind the hummer and both riders stepped off, the larger one removing his helmet to reveal a familiar if older looking face.

"Sub-Zero?" asked Johnny not believing how much the 'young' fighter had aged in the few weeks he was gone.

The Lin Kuei nodded and then said, "This is Frost…my new student."

At that moment the smaller person removed her helmet to reveal the ice blue eyes and Chinese features of the female warrior. She placed the helmet under her arm and then bowed respectfully.

"Student?" Jax, Johnny and Sonya all asked at the same time.

"What of the Lin Kuei?" asked Cyrax.

"They're no longer a problem, "answered Sub-Zero tiredly.

Frost frowned but remained quiet to study the group. Cyrax she knew or thought she did. The other three she only knew from what Sub-Zero told her and from what she overheard at the Lin Kuei headquarters. The one with metal arms was no doubt Jax and seemed to be a decent fighter by the look of him but nothing to worry about. The other male must then be Johnny Cage nice looking but didn't strike her as a true warrior. It was the woman, Sonya Blade, which concerned her. This was the one that caused the Lin Kuei to rethink their belief of female warriors and start their experiment with Frost herself. Frost nearly smirked as she thought that if she could defeat this woman, she would prove that she was worthy to be a true Lin Kuei.

As if sensing Frost's thoughts, Sonya glanced at the young woman with narrowing eyes and a look that said 'don't even think about it.'

"Brrrrrr! Did it suddenly get chilly out here?" said Johnny.

**(Rayden's Home)**

Rayden appeared in a flash of light in the main room, and then nearly fell to his knees as he grabbed his head. The searing headache was almost too much for him to bear. He hasn't felt this much physical pain in centuries.

Kronos helped the thundergod to his chair and said, "You might want to raise your mental shielding. It will slow down repairing your link but…"

Rayden shook his head slightly and said, "They are up…What happened?"

The Elder God almost smiled but only sighed. "I gave Althea her first lesson in controlling her time gift, "he answered, "We agreed on doing it the fast way to get that seal removed sooner than originally planned. The good news the headache is temporary and should be gone in a few hours. The bad news is its going to return at least a few more times. Althea's gift is stronger than expected and must remain sealed until I am certain she is..."

Kronos stopped and looked away from the thundergod as if hearing something. The Elder God of Time then vanished.

**(South American Jungle Ruins, Early Evening)**

Arianna smiled when she felt the ring that Quan Chi had given her, heat up briefly.

"Arianna!" said Kuravan angrily, "Do you mind telling me what you were doing talking with the sorcerers?"

Arianna chuckled lightly as she turned. "No I don't mind. Actually I'm glad you brought it up. They wanted me to cause a little distraction here on Earth when they sent me a sign,"said Arianna as lifted up her hand to reveal the faintly glowing ring, "This is the sign and you're the distraction."

With her other hand she threw a ball of blood red flame which crashed into Kuravan's chest. For a moment it seemed nothing happened, but the god stepped back as he felt his powers fade. Fear crossed his face but then he heard the wings of his servant Lilith as she flew down.

"Take care of…"Kuravan said but Lilith grabbed the now mortal god by the throat and lifted him off the ground.

"I no longer take orders from you, "the vampire growled, and her claws dug in just enough to draw blood. Seeing this Lilith licked her lips.

"Why?" gasped Kuravan.

It was Arianna who answered, "Does it really matter?"

A blur knocked Lilith over causing her to lose her hold on Kuravan. The blur then returned and stopped next to Kuravan to reveal the masked Kabal standing protectively between him and the two females.

"Why are Earth males so stupid, "said Arianna as she prepared to blast the idiot but then a gun shot cracked the air and a small hole appear in her upper chest, black blood spattering outward. As Arianna fell to the ground another woman appeared from the jungle, her red hair appearing as blood in the night. Kabal only nodded thanks to the woman and then put his full attention on Lilith. The vampire just smirked as she walked slowly to the prone form on the ground. "She was wrong…its not just Earth males that are stupid, "Lilith said as the 'corpse' started to move, "You can't kill something that is already dead."

Arianna sat up and slowly got up off the ground. The gaping wound in her chest filled in and faded away leaving only a torn shirt and chain mail to show where the injury was. Arianna and Lilith pulled out their kamas at the same time. Arianna glared at the strange red headed woman as Lilith put her full concentration on the black dragon.

While this was happening, Kuravan sat up rubbing his throat and saw what was happening. He was surprised by what he was seeing. The one who he thought most loyal over the centuries had betrayed him, but one of the ones he was certain would someday prove traitor was risking all to protect him. Even that woman, what was her name…Kira? Wasn't going to back down in spite knowing they faced something that couldn't be killed. Lilith's betrayal he could almost understand, all mortals had a price. But what was it with these humans…what do they hope to gain? The now mortal deity stood up, wiping the blood from his went to stand beside Kabal and went into a fighting stance.

Lilith growled and tightened her grip on her weapons considering her options. She knew even mortal, Kuravan has centuries of experience. Then the wind started to pick up, blinding everyone as dust and debris went flying. As the wind died down the familiar voice of the current Protector of the Realm filled the air, "As much as I hate the guy, I can't allow the killing of another god."

Arianna laughed with flashing eyes and then said, "One god or two…makes no difference to me." She crossed her kamas and they both became engulf in blood red flame but did not burn.

However, Lilith didn't seem so confident. The only reason why she went along with the attack was Arianna's promise to aid her in releasing the Vampire's home realm. Unable to die and with shielding abilities, Arianna would be able to retrieve the orb from its volcanic prison. The Vampire's wings flexed as she considered her limited options.

As if sensing Lilith's concerns, Fujin now appeared on stairs leading up the ruined pyramid and said in a commanding tone, "If you stand down now you will be given safe passage to another realm…never to return."

Kabal and Kira just watched but still ready to fight if need be, while Kuravan considered the wind god's actions. What was the idiot up to?

Arianna ring flashed again and she smiled when she felt the heat. "No matter, I completed my part of the bargain, "she said as she sheathed her weapons and pulled out a crystal, "As for safe passage, I'll provide my own." A portal opened and Lilith was more than happy to take it without saying a word, but Arianna added, "It's a shame that a god can't be in two places at once, not even a Sworn Protector."

At that second, Fujin bent over as if in pain. The wind god's eyes widen as he knew what had happened. Arianna waved as she stepped through the portal and said, "Until next time."

The portal closed with a hiss pop. Kuravan turned to see what Fujin was going to do only to see him gone.

**(Temple of Light, China)**

Liu Kang took a deep breath and then started his morning Tai Chi routine. As his body moved almost fluidly his mind wondered. Tomorrow he would return to the States with Kung Lao. They had finally gotten the proper Visas in order and permission from the Temple priests. Even they had to admit that they had no one who could train Kung Lao's gifts but with both Althea and hopefully Nightwolf teaching him there was a chance of getting it under control. Never before has Kung Lao's gift caused him so much trouble. Nightly he was having nightmares of what may or may not come and almost daily he was mentally pulled into the past by just touching something.

Liu continued his morning routine as he saw Kung Lao in the corner of his eye, thinking that his friend might join in the exercise. He then turned when he heard a voice in the distance yell, "NO!" The Champion of Mortal Kombat saw someone he never hoped to see again and then sent a kick in greeting followed by a pair of punches. Shang Tsung blocks one punch but the second hits hard knocking him back a few steps. Rushing back Shang sends in his own punch which Liu Kang blocks and counters with another kick to the lower rib cage. Shang tries to back hand the monk but Liu blocks. The champion sends a quick punch to the sorcerer's face which is followed by a heavy over handed punch to the head knocking the sorcerer to the ground stunned.

From behind the other sorcerer Quan Chi send a green flaming skull into Liu Kang's back. The monk falls to his knees stunned and in pain. Recovered, Shang walks over the monk and grabs hold of Liu's head and chin. They struggle briefly but Shang then twists the monk's head snapping his neck. Liu Kang, the Champion of Mortal Kombat falls to the ground…dead. The demon sorcerer Shang Tsang wasted no time taking the champion's soul. After all these years of defeat, he was about ready to roar in victory but a flying circular blade forced him to dodge. The spinning blade lined hat returned to its owner who looked upon the pair with pure hatred in his eyes.

Quan Chi chuckled and prepared to return the favor in the form of one of his skulls but then turned his head as if sensing something else. Shang growled and opened a portal. "We'll deal with you later boy, "snarled Shang.

"DAMN YOU, "Kung Lao yelled as he ran to follow but the portal closed before he got to it. He turned, walked towards Liu and fell to the ground in tears.

**The End… **

Next Time on MK: Echoes of the Past.

Kung Lao angrily said, "Where were you?"

**Recap:** For the past two years I have been working on a series of fanfics that have grown way past what I originally planned. All I wanted was a good fan fiction of the Mortal Kombat: Conquest TV series. I found a few one-shots but that's about it. So I decided to try my hand at writing my own. This somehow grew to a 34 chapter fanfiction in itself, a prequel and now this story. (sigh) Ok the following is not meant to provide any real spoilers of the stories in case if you haven't read them but to give some insight on how everyone/thing is related to each other. Please ignore the grammar errors in the following. All I wanted to do was to list a few key elements of the stories and done this within a few minutes.

**Mortal Kombat: Mythos of Rayden**

Raijin (Later known as Rayden) is the son of Shinnok, Elder God of Shadows, and Benten-San, a goddess of luck, who are 'divorced' at the start of the story. Benten-San is remarried to the then Elder God of Air, Enlil, and eventually has a son named Fujin. When Shinnok betrays the Elder Gods, Rayden and Fujin fight against him in defense of Earthrealm. At that time there were Dragons created by the Elder Gods to also fight in this war. Two, the Red Dragon of Flame and the Black Dragon of Shadows, were on Earth, both betrayed the Elder Gods and ended up serving Shinnok. Later we find out that Shinnok had another son, Shao Kahn, whose mother was a she-demon of the Neatherrealm.

**Final note:**

1. Fujin and Rayden are half-brothers with the same mother.

2. Rayden and Shao Kahn are also half-brothers but with the same father.

3. The Red and Black Dragons do not like Rayden and this is where their hatred of the Thundergod started.

**Mortal Kombat: Conquest**

Rayden is allowed to 're-write' history with the help of the mysterious white haired woman (Lady Tomorrow). Althea first meets Rayden while she is a student of Kung Lao and we find out little bit about her history including the mutual dislike between her and Kuravan, her grandfather and a god of Calorna. Among his followers, Kuravan considers Lilith (a winged Vampire) his most loyal and valuable in spite of her limitations of not being able to be out in the daylight. We also meet Quan Chi's new follower, Lupena, who is more than what she seems. Drevane of the Red Dragon shows up and we see what the spirits of the two traitor Dragons are capable. Arianna and Ragen were created by Quan Chi from the anger and guilt of Althea and Rayden. Rayden's and Althea's growing attachment and soul-bond to each others causes some dissention among the Elder Gods since she is a godslayer and we find out that the Elder God of Time, Kronos, is Kuravan's father and thus Althea's Great-Grandfather.

**Final Notes:**

1. Althea is the biological granddaughter of Kuravan, a god of Calorna (I have yet to figure out a god of what…any suggestions?) and great-granddaughter of Kronos, Elder God of Time.  
2. The spirits or souls of the Red and Black Dragons are imprisoned in their respective of medallions and can be controlled to a certain extent by certain bloodlines or extremely powerful magic-users.

3. The two dragon clans have always hated each other even if one clan may disappear for a while there was always both Red and Black Dragon clans.

4. Arianna is an evil 'clone' of Althea where Ragen is the same of Rayden.

5. Rayden and Althea more than care for each other they are literally bonded to each other.

**Mortal Kombat: Echoes of the Past  
**

Johnny, Liu, and Sonya are in the process of creating a new school in L.A. with the advice of Rayden and the 'help' of Sub-Zero, Jax and others. Scorpion is for some reason, watching over Sub-Zero instead of hunting him down. Althea returns with the help of Fujin and the Elder God of Time. Shinnok takes over Outworld and attempts another attack on the Elder Gods. Arianna is revived and along side Lilith served Kuravan who has also recruited Kabal to be his guide on Earthrealm. Scorpion has found an ally in the demon huntress called Ashra. Sub-Zero has just gotten a new student whether he wanted to or not and a strange dragon medallion of his own with some strange side effects.

**Final Note:** No real final note since this story is still in progress. I do hope this helps.


	28. Chapter 27: Death Scene for an Emperor

**Note: **A big thanks to my friend 'Mike' for his help with this chapter. I got completely stuck for some reason on one of the scenes and he really pulled through with helping me out. In case you read this after I post,Mike, good luck with your story.

Chapter Twenty Seven: Death Scene for an Emperor

**(Temple of Light)**

The wind picked up and Fujin appeared just behind the still kneeling Kung Lao. Seeing the body of Liu Kang, Fujin's face went pale and he placed a sympathic hand on the monk's shoulder. Kung Lao stiffened when he felt the touch and then angrily said, "Where were you?"

Fujin looked down and away not sure what to say. Kung Lao would have none of it and grabbed hold of the wind god's hand. Images of the conflict between a strange god and his own minions filled the monk mind then memories of the strange gods actions in past also appeared. Kung Lao then stood up to glare at the god of wind...just before punching him in the face. Fujin took the punch on the chin, just moving his head slightly under the force. "You were busy protecting one of Kahn's allies while leaving Liu to fend for himself, "hissed the monk in uncharacteristic anger, "What were you thinking!"

**(Elder God of Shadow's Private Chambers)**

In his private chambers, the Elder God of Shadows chuckled and waved his hand to dismiss the floating image of Kung Lao blaming that fool Fujin. His friend was right; the show of seeing Earth's champion die was entertaining. Only bad thing was Anubis could already hear the debates that is going to take place among his fellow Elder Gods once they…

The dark Elder God growled when he felt the summons to council, it seems that word travels fast. Then an idea came to him, perhaps like the mortal was doing now perhaps he could place the full blame on Fujin for not tending his duties. After all he already failed to guard the Temple of the Elements and now this…Plus this would also make that blasted thundergod look bad for recommending Fujin in the first place. Anubis slowly changed into his more human form and grinned at the thought. For far too long the two of them have enjoyed the favor of the three senior Elder Gods. He walked into the shadowed corner and reappeared from shadowed alcove of his respective altar in the Temple of the Elder Gods. Perhaps, he could even hint that Arianna's attack on Kuravan proves that both godslayers are too dangerous to continue living.

A heated glare from the Elder Goddess of Water erased that last thought from his mind. The Elder God of Shadows frowned, Danu had a way of knowing even an Elder God's thoughts and the Elder Goddess was not one to be trifled with. Normally she would see to only that order reigned during the council meetings, but just the fact that she alone could do that proved her power. She has already shown she favors both Rayden and Fujin, but would this flow over to favoring Rayden's little group of mortals or his godslayer?

Anubis looked around the room noting that the Elder Gods of Earth, Fire and Wind were once again playing the role of council idiots. The three youngest Elder Gods rarely went against what the senior ones said, however one the few times was in regards to the godslayer and Rayden's actions in regards to her.

Hmmph…fear pure and simple cowards, the senior Elder Gods were powerful and capable of destroying a god but they have yet to do so. Even the traitor Shinnok they only banished to the Neatherrealm. Instead they create 'godslayers' to do their dirty work, godslayers that normally burn out after they done their job, a safety feature to prevent a repeat of the original godslaying Dragons' betrayal. However, Althea has killed a god and survived. Three if you consider Ragen and Shinnok, even if she didn't make the final killing blows she was there and instrumental in both their deaths. The senior Elder Gods were a threat, but Althea is a proven danger. Now this Arianna, has threatened not one but two gods at the same time and nearly killed Rayden more then once. Not to mention, she is now to be considered a rogue force since Kuravan obviously lost whatever leash he had on her. If this happened to one godslayer, how long until the other does the same?

Everything Damashi has shown and told him has proven true, even that mysterious 'Lady Tomorrow' hasn't been as helpful despite of all her apparent power. Perhaps, he should take Damashi's recommendation in regards to Kuravan into consideration in spite of his apparent alliance with Shao Kahn and failure to control Arianna.

**(Shao Kahn's Throneroom)  
**  
The two sorcerers walked towards the throne of Outworld. He who sat upon the throne sneered as the pair bowed in respected. Before the skull masked male could question the two, the sound swords being unsheathed filled the room as both sorcerers stood up and as one attacked. Each raised a hand to release their respective energy attacks, striking down the pair of shadow priests that stood on each side of the emperor's throne.

As the priests crashed into the distant wall, the emperor rose and heaved his broadsword at Shang Tsung. Quan Chi raised a wall of skulls to protect him, the sword embedded itself too deep and Kahn couldn't move it. Shang Tsung threw a blast of flames at him, causing him to cover his face; the sorcerer then drove his sword through Shao Kahn's gut. Kahn gasped as he felt his life drain from him. He stared angrily at the sorcerer, blood dripping from his mouth. Quan Chi closed the distant, spun and beheaded Kahn, his head tumbling down the steps and his blood coated helm coming to rest at the bottom.

**(Dark room lit by a pool of flame)**

In a dark room, an unseen being growled as the death scene played out in the flaming pool before him. Reiko walked up from the other side, his face lit up by the flames. He bowed his head in respect to the unseen figure and then said, "It happened just as you predicted, do wish for me to see to their…"

"No, "a familiar voice came from the shadows, "We'll just wait and see what happens. They already taken care of one thorn in my side, we'll let them do all the work and take all the blame IF the Elder Gods decide to interfere."

Reiko bowed and turned to leave but stopped when the voice added, "See to it that someone keeps an eye on both godslayers…especially the rogue."

**(Rayden's Livingroom)**

Rayden sitting up on the couch he was laying on he brushed back his gray hair with a sigh as the headache finally started to fade. He frowned as he sensed something was wrong. Even though he was not presently the Sworn Protector, long ingrained habits were hard to lose thus he automatically sent out his senses to seek out each of the chosen and to test the boundaries of Earthrealm. His face paled when he felt the emptiness that once was Liu Kang. "No…"he whispered as he slowly stood. A pair of warm arms wrapped around his waist as Althea, who had walked in unseen, sympathetically rested her head on his upper arm. "Liu…is, "Rayden started to say but Althea reached up to cover his lips with her fingers as he felt the understanding and mutual morning from her through their bond. "Go help Fujin, "she said, "This is not the time for an inexperienced Protector."

Rayden returned her hug and then added, "We'll need your help too and all the chosen will need to be gathered."

Althea nodded just before the pair vanished in a flash of light.

**(Temple of Light)**

Kung Lao watched emotionlessly as his fellow monks took Liu Kang's body away for burial. Fujin unsure what to do but also unwilling to leave things as they were stood a short distance away, just out of site of Kung Lao. The god of wind jumped when he felt a hand land heavily on his shoulder. "What happened?" demanded Rayden.

Fujin wasn't sure whether to be relieved that his brother was here or be frozen in fear. Being on the receiving end of Rayden's anger was never pleasant. Althea ignored the two gods as she stared at one of the monks. She slowly walked over to the cold faced monk and asked, "Kung Lao?" His hair was longer and the clothes he wore different, but he looked exactly like her teacher and friend.

"Do I know you?" the monk replied coldly in English assuming the blonde woman was an American by her clothes. Althea smiled sadly as she shook her head, "Sorry, you look like someone I once knew…a long time ago."

It was then that Kung Lao realized that the strange woman also looked familiar, but what she said next shook that thought from her mind. "How…who did…How did Liu die?" she asked.

"You knew…"

Althea nodded with a sad smile, "I am…or was going to be one of the teachers at the school."

It was then that Kung Lao noticed Rayden talking with Fujin and then it dawned on him who this woman was. "Althea?" he asked just to make sure. The woman nodded and then said, "You must be Liu's cousin…." She suddenly turned her face towards the gods and said, "Uh oh…" Even from this far away, Kung Lao could see Rayden's eyes flash in anger. What really surprised him was how this woman walked hurriedly to the pair to stand right between the two gods, as if to protect one from the wraith of the other.

Kung Lao walked over to hear Althea say, "…calm down."

Slowly the sparks that were running up and down Rayden's form faded away as the thundergod calmed down…some. He growled, "He was too busy protecting Kuravan of all people…"

"Then if you're going to blame anyone, blame me, "the woman said, "After all the only reason why Kuravan is in this realm is because of me and its because of me that Arianna…"

Just then both Fujin and Rayden felt a summons that could not be ignored. "Fujin, you go ahead and meet with the Elder Gods, "said Rayden, "I'll take both Kung Lao and Althea to the ranch house and then join you."

The uncharacteristically silent wind god nodded before vanishing in whirlwind. Althea reached over to grab Kung Lao's arm and said, "Hold on, it's a bit disconcerting the first few times."

"What?" said Kung Lao as Rayden took hold of her other hand and they all vanished.

**(Ranch house's backyard)**

Two women glared at each other across the grassy field, one dark haired and the other blonde. One with an ice cold stare and the other that could leave burn marks in her glares wake. Johnny Cage looked back at Sub-Zero as if asking 'Do I have too?' The Lin Kuei nodded. Johnny sighed and then said in a loud voice, "FIGHT!"

Frost sent a blast of cold along the ground which Sonya dodged easily and ran, fist first, into Frost's face. Frost tried to counter but was met with Sonya's other fist. The next thing Frost knew, she was face down on the ground with Sonya's foot in her back and her right arm being held painfully behind her.

Sub-Zero nearly sighed, this was suppose to be a minor spar to determine how much training and skill Frost actually had but the combination of her actions and Sonya's temper was turning it into an full out brawl. "Again, "he calmly said ignoring Johnny's 'You crazy?' look, "This time use only martial arts…no kori."

A crash of thunder and a bright flash of light interrupted the sparring match. Everyone turned just in time to see Rayden vanish once again leaving behind Althea and a noticeably green Kung Lao.

Seeing the stricken look on the pair, it was Sub-Zero who asked, "What happened?"

**(Gate leading to Ranch House)**

At the front gate, stood a man with a long cloth wrapped package tied to the backpack he carried. His eyes were hidden behind dark glasses as his other senses took in his surroundings. For the past two days he waited for the return of magic he sensed in this area, and just now it reappeared. Barely detectable but not far from here, beyond this gate…but it was not the one he was seeking. This one held none of the taint, cruelty of the one he sought. However there was someone else here, who was recently touched by that same user of magic he sought. Perhaps the pair of them could lead him to his prey. Sensing only those in the not so distant building he decided to observe before making himself known. He raised a hand towards the gate and it glowed faintly gray, in seconds there was a faint click and the gate swung open. With his other hand he brought out a small cylinder which with a flick of his wrist expanded into a white cane. Once he walked past the gate, it swung closed behind him.

**The End…**

Next Time on Mortal Kombat: Echoes of the Past…

"So nothing will be done, "fumed Rayden, "in spite of this obvious breach of Your rules?"


	29. Chapter 28: Defiance

**Chapter Twenty Eight: Defiance**

**Note: **Ok, I didn't like how this story was going so I decided to do some rewriting. You will see few changes in this chapter but the ones following will be very different then the ones that were posted previously. I do apologize for any confusion or trouble for my few current readers and for any new readers…don't worry you didn't miss anything.

**(Ranch House)**

A sad silence filled the living room, as Althea quietly placed a tray full of drinks on the dining room table. On the couch sat Johnny with his arm wrapped around Sonya's shoulders and her arms wrapped around his chest. Jax sat in the overstuffed chair with his head in his metallic hands. Sub-Zero leaned against his now customary wall, looking downward and arms crossed. Kung Lao sat on the ground, his back to the couch's armrest his eyes closed. As she passed out the drinks, Althea looked up with a thoughtful look as if sensing something. Her lips thinned as she handed the last glass and then left the room unnoticed by the mourning group.

In the gym Frost practiced her katas under the watchful, unblinking eyes of Cyrax. punch punch kick "Why are you here, cyborg?" Frost asked between moves. kick block punch

"Because I choose to, "replied Cyrax in his mechanical voice.

Frost suddenly stopped and turned. "You CHOOSE?" she demanded, "You are Lin Kuei, you have no…"

Cyrax lifted his hand in a motion asking for silence and replied, "The Lin Kuei of old is dead. The new Lin Kuei looks to be different, if Sub-Zero is a true example of the clan's future."

Frost hmphed and turned away only to hear Cyrax continue, "The mere fact he accepted you as a full student rather than a test subject is proof of that."

Frost clenched her fists and lowered her head, hearing the cyborg's words but not sure how to take them.

Outside behind the tool shed, the strange man nearly collapsed under the weight of sorrow, worry and confusion he sensed from the ranch house. What could have happened? He debated for a few moments on whether to continue 'observing,' walk up to the front door or leave. Choosing the last he turned to head back the way he came only to crash into what felt to be a wall where there wasn't one before.

"You know it's not nice to spy on people, "said a woman's voice causing him to turn around, "Mine telling me why you're here?"

The strange man bowed slightly in respect and said, "Forgive me, I meant no harm. I'm only seeking a certain person and thought I might be able to receive information on him here."

Althea's eyes flashed slightly as she looked over the stranger. His dark glasses and white cane indicated he was blind according to local custom. However his actions and what she sensed from the packaged tied to his backpack told her there was something different about this person. "Who are you and who do you seek?"

A half smiled appeared as the man answered, "I am known as Kenshi and the one I seek is called Shang Tsung."

**(Outworld)**

Reptile knelt at the foot of the empty and bloody throne of Shao Kahn. The room darkened as the candles slowly melted away. "Masssster," he whispered in a strange sort of mourning. Just as the last candle went out a woman's hand was placed on his shoulder. "He is never truly gone, "said the woman with a voice that was a strange mixture of sympathy and sarcasm.

Reptile hissed as he stood up to face the stranger and saw a woman in armor the same as his only darker, wearing a mask as he once did and having long white haired pulled back into a bun. Her crystal blue eyes narrowed slightly as she asked, "What will you do now?"

Like a lost child he covered his eyes and hissed, "No Massster, No home, No place for Reptile."

"Perhaps, Reptile needs a new master, "said the woman, "Or better yet become his own."

"How?" asked Reptile, "Where?"

The woman closed her eyes as if debating something with herself and then sighed. "If it's a new master that you desire, look among those who fly the darken skies. If you chose to become your own master, seek the key to your home."

Reptile stood up straighter and his tongue flickered as he thought over the woman's words. Finally he said, "There issss only Reptile who issss left so there issss no point to having a home…"

The woman closed her eyes sadly but nodded before vanishing.

**(Arizona)  
**  
Nightwolf put the phone down and then slowly walked over to his table. His palms laid on the table gently and then turned to fists that he raised only to have them crash down loudly.

The noise brought Kiva walking in with a concerned look and she asked, "What's wrong?"

"He's dead…Liu Kang is.."Nightwolf closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He always thought that he, being the oldest by far, of all the chosen would be the first to fall not the champion.

Kiva sat down with a shocked look and then asked, "What happen's now?"

"We go and pay our respects, "said Nightwolf as he picked up the phone again, "I'll make the reservations while you pack."

**(Temple of the Elder Gods)**

"So nothing will be done, "fumed Rayden, "in spite of this obvious breach of Your rules?"

Both Rayden and Fujin stood before the council along with a handful of the current Earthrealm deities as well as a few from other realms. Most of these mumbled in agreement with the thunder god.

"Take care of what you speak Lord Rayden, "said the Elder Goddess of Water in all seriousness, "The council has yet to decide…"

"Pardon me, "said Vatas the Sworn Protector of Calorna, "but what is there to decide? Shang Tsung of Outworld and Quan Chi of the Neatherrealm have killed both the Earthrealm's Champion of Mortal Kombat and Outworld's Emperor. The first a obvious breach of the rules of Mortal Kombat and the second proof that they are more than willing to destroy immortals in their conquest of the realms."

Kronos nearly smiled in pride at his youngest son's words, but hid it behind a serious face required for such a moment. The pride faded when he heard Shadow say, "A danger only because your former champion gave her weapons to a specter of the Neatherrealm."

Rayden's eyes began to flash and Fujin grabbed his shoulder to prevent his brother from doing something stupid. "She did so to save a god, "said Fujin, "And ended up saving the last two of Earthrealm's gods and its Champion by doing so."

"ENOUGH!" the Elder God of Light roared, silencing the room.

The Elder God of Flame then said, "Until a decision has been reached, nothing changes."

"What?" Rayden said under his breath.

"The sorcerers will be watched, "added the Elder God of Stone, "Until they have proven themselves a true danger…"

Rayden shook his head slightly at the apparent lack of common sense.

"Now all of you return to your respective realms and duties, "ordered the Elder God of Air.

"No, "said Rayden softly but then louder, "No, I will not."

"Lord Rayden, you are…"started Water.

"Sick of what the council has become, "interrupted Rayden angrily, "Time and again your rules are broken and yet you do nothing. Instead you prevent those of us who do follow your dictates from doing what is needed. I have had enough." The God of Thunder then turned his back on the council and walked through the crowd.

"Stay where you are, Thunder God, "ordered Shadow.

Rayden then turned and said, "Like hell I will." With a crash of thunder he was gone.

Fujin nearly left to follow but a hand on his shoulder made him turn to see Vatas of Calorna. "Wait, "the foreign god said, "I'll talk to Kronos as soon as he's available, it seems that bond is causing Rayden to take on some of Athea's more…endearing qualities. For now let him be and help me smooth things out here."

**(Ranch House)  
**  
For the past few hours, the handful of chosen heard Kenshi's story and then started telling their own. Althea watched and listened in concern as the group compared what could only be called horror stories they have experienced at the hands of Shang Tsung. Sonya lost all those under her command in spite as fulfilling Shang Tsung's demands to fight in the tournament and her imprisonment in Outworld. Kenshi being tricked in leading the same sorcerer to the entombed souls of his ancestors thus allowing him to enslave them, Kung Lao witnessing the death of Liu Kang…the list went on. It seemed the only one's not really touched by the evil that is Shang Tsung was the cyborg, Frost and herself.

Althea knew that the sorcerer was evil, just the fact that he used souls of fallen warriors to empower himself was proof of that. However, she could figure out how someone, who was so easily defeated that one time she met him face to face all those years ago, had grown so powerful. He had to have enslaved a endless number of souls over the centuries…but most if not all should have been freed when he was defeated by Liu Kang during the last Mortal Kombat Tournament. Why was he still so strong? That was the weakness of such sorcerers, without souls they were weaker than a human child.

"He must be stopped, "Althea suddenly said startling everyone in the room.

"What? Of course he has…"started Jax but Althea turned a flaming glare at him and said, "No…not that way. Shang Tsung is not what he seems. I don't think even Shao Kahn knows how dangerous he is. Combine that with my swords and his alliance with Quan Chi…" She opened her hand to reveal the small crystal that Kronos gave her. Closing her eyes she then added, "I have to go…"

"You're not going alone, "said Kung Lao as he got up off the floor.

"If you have a way to Outworld, "said Sonya, "we'll all go."

"No, "said Althea shaking her head as she closed her fist, "the Chosen warriors must stay. Shang Tsung and Quan Chi have obviously broken the rules of Mortal Kombat. If the Elder Gods haven't done anything by now they never will. Thus Earth will be wide open for attack, not only by Outworld but any realm that may pose a threat."

Just then Cyrax walked in with Frost right behind him and said, "What of those who were not among the chosen?"

Kenshi nodded in agreement and said, "The cyborg is correct, those of us who were not chosen are not truly needed for Earth's defenses…"

"And we are to trust you, someone we barely met, "interrupted Sonya, "Or you Cryax, that less than a year and a half ago tried to kill us."

Finally Johnny spoke up, "Look no one is going to Outworld until we hear from either Fujin or Rayden."

Althea took a deep breath but said nothing, as she headed to the stairs. She already knew basically what the Elder God's response was…she could feel it through Rayden's frustration and anger. Just as she reached her bedroom door, she felt a hand on her shoulder. "Let me come with you, "said Kenshi, "You are in a way like me, I can sense it."

Althea chuckled sadly and said, "Not so sure about that, but you are right. If I do go I can't go alone…"

**(Outside, later that night)**

The sounds of cicadas covered up any sounds he may have as he walked toward the remains of what looked to be have been a grove of trees. Cyrax wasn't sure why the woman asked him to come, but he had a good idea what she was going to do. Althea sat waiting on a fallen tree and not surprising Kenshi stood next to her. Each was wearing what one could call their, battle gear. Althea was wearing her dark gray leather armor with what appeared to be steel plates covering her chest and part of her legs. Her hair pulled back and held in place by a steel band with a thin stripe of gray leather between it and her skin. Kenshi was wearing dark brown leather outfit with a red and white sash embroidered with a dragon motif. His eyes now covered not by sunglasses but by a strip of red cloth and his sheathed sword tied to his back. They both turned towards the yellow cyborg when he said, "You requested that I meet you here."

Althea stood up and said, "You've been to Outworld?"

Cyrax nodded and said, "That is correct. When I was among the Lin Kuei, I often went with the masters to meet with either the Emperor Shao Kahn or Shang Tsung."

Kenshi sighed as if in defeat and then turned to Althea, "You win."

"I know you have a responsibility here, "said Althea, "but I have to ask, will you guide us? I…we have to go to Outworld to stop this evil. The others have to protect Earth, but neither I nor Kenshi are Chosen warriors."

"I had assumed that you were newly Chosen, "said Cyrax.

"No, "said Althea, "Oh Fujin tried, but I was one of the_ korast_ on my birthrealm and Vatas neglected to remove that status. Since it's similar to being chosen that title has to be removed before being chosen by another Protector but since it has nothing to do with protecting a realm from another realm it was not automatically voided by changing homerealms."

"Korast?" asked Kenshi.

"There's not really a single word that translates, "answered Althea, "It's like being a Chosen but it does not involve other realms. Only being 'chosen' to do a job by a god against another god."

"What can a mortal do against a god?"asked Kenshi.

"We're wasting time, "said Althea changing the subject, "Will you guide us, Cyrax? It's your choice."

"I will help you, "answered Cyrax, "Your reasons have a ring of truth and I also agree Shang Tsung must be stopped."

Althea stood up and took Cyrax's hand, "If you're ready, let me know and think of a safe place for us to start looking."

Althea held up the crystal given to her by Kronos and a portal then opened before them. Just then a flash of light blue light blinded them and next they knew Kuravan stood, with arms crossed, in front of them effectively blocking their way.

**The End…**

Next Time on MK: Echoes of the Past….

There stood Fujin, looking somewhat different then he normally did. Instead of the leather vest and baggy green pants he wore a dark three piece suit with a silver trimmed green wind kanji pinned to his tie. His long gray hair was now tied down low and hung down his back.


	30. Chapter 39: Recruitment

**Chapter Twenty Nine: Recruitment**

Althea's eyes flared as she went into an offensive stance with blue flame covered fists. "What do you want?" she demanded.

Both Cyrax and Kenshi took a defensive step back not sure what to expect.

"Much as I hate to admit it, "sneered Kuravan, "I owe the wind god. He would not approve you heading out without at least discussing the situation with him."

Althea raised a hand as if to send a chi blast, but stop when Kuravan smiled and said, "Oh please do. Attack me and it will only prove my case that you are a danger that needs to either be contained or destroyed."

Althea's flames died down some as she backed off and then snarled, "You're interfering in…"

"Ah yes, "interrupted Kuravan, "That old rule about mortal affairs. The same exception that allows you to _visit_ with your thundergod in his personal domain means that you are no longer protected by that little rule. It's only the favor you somehow garnered from Kronos that allows you the freedom you so enjoy."

"You have any idea what's going on?" whispered Kenshi to Cyrax.

Cyrax seemed to ignore the inquiry as he turned his head to look off to the side. He then said, "There are others."

Out of the darkness, came a masked man and a red headed woman. Around the man's neck, almost hidden by his dark brown trench coat, hung the medallion of the Black Dragon.

"Let me introduce my…employees, "said Kuravan, "Kabal, one of Earth's chosen warriors, and his sub-ordinate, Kira."

Althea didn't take her eyes off of Kuravan, but Kenshi sensed something different about the one called Kabal or better yet from something he wore. It was similar to the medallion the one called Sub-Zero wore but…darker for lack of a better description.

In Calornian, Althea demanded, "Just what are you up to?"

Kuravan's eyes flashed slightly as he answered in that same language, "Just keeping an eye out for my interests. Thanks to you, the sorcerers now have the means to destroy gods such as myself."

Althea's eyes flared angrily as she replied, "Just as it is thanks to you Arianna is back and on the loose. As much if not more of a danger than Shang Tsung and Quan Chi put together."

"All of which, needs to be stopped, "said Kuravan and then added in English, "Is it agreed that we do have common foes?"

"That depends on what is being agreed upon, "came Sub-Zero's voice.

Everyone turned to see the Lin Kuei wearing nothing but a set of dark sleep pants. Kira's eyes lowered and raised as if taking in the sight of the fighter build with faint scars just adding to his appearance. Unseen behind his mask, Kabal glared angrily at the same warrior.

Kenshi frowned as he concentrated as he attempted to make sense of what he was sensing. It was almost as if two beasts were staring each other down, growling deep in their throats. Suddenly as if just then noticing they were being watched the two creatures turned to 'glare' warningly at him. Kenshi had to prevent himself from stepping back as the creatures' true forms became more apparent…dragons.

**(New York)**

"If you think for one moment that your connections in the…"roared Styker's superior.

Styker stood there mentally zoning the lecture out. He wasn't too worried about missing anything, since he could almost quote the little 'speech' word by word due to the number of times he has heard it. He tried his best to hide the bored sighed as he could feel himself almost hoping for another 'invasion.'

The chief's, "…ARE YOU LISTENING TO THE WORDS COMING OUT OF MY MOUTH!!!" broke though Styker's thoughts, "If you think I'm going to approve your request for…" A loud knock at the office door interrupted the now red faced chief who growled, "WHAT?!"

A woman in uniform stuck her head in and said, "Sir, someone here to speak with Styker."

"They can damn well…"the chief started to say but stopped when the door was slammed fully open by a strange but strong blast of wind. There stood Fujin, looking somewhat different then he normally did. Instead of the leather vest and baggy green pants he wore a dark three piece suit with a silver trimmed green wind kanji pinned to his tie. His long gray hair was now tied down low and hung down his back. The most notable difference was what appeared to be an OIA card badge clipped to his lapel. Fujin eyebrow rose as he said, "I do apologize but what I have to say to Officer Kurtis Stryker can not wait…"

The chief gave Styker a glare, where Styker in turn replied with a half shrug.

The chief then turned the glare back to Fujin and snarled, "You have no right…"

"Actually, "said Fujin pulling out a sheet of paper from inside his vest pocket, "This gives me the right. Officer Stryker has just been…recruited by the Outerworld Investigation Agency. He is to report to the OIA's training facilties in Los Angles A S A P."

"Hold it, "said Stryker, "Don't I get a say in the matter?"

Fujin said in a serious tone, "No."

**(Edenian Camp)**

Inside a dusty tan tent, a dark haired woman in a blue skintight outfit looked over some maps scattered across a beaten wooden table. The tent flap opened as another darker skinned woman in green walked in. "What is it Jade, "said the first woman without bothering to look up.

Jade gave a roman like salute and said, "Princess, I have a message from Lord Rayden."

Princess Kitana straightened up and turned around to accept the scroll that Jade handed over to her. She carefully removed the blue and white seal as it flickered in recognition. This was not the first time Rayden had send word to her in this manner and she was fully aware of what would happen if anyone but her should try to remove that seal. It would not be a pretty site. Kitana carefully unrolled the scroll and silently read the missive. Her lips tighten and a faint glimmer appeared in her eyes. Kitana crushed the paper and said in a quiet voice, "Leave, I wish to be alone."

Concerned, Jade said, "Princess?"

Kitana turned around and said more firmly, "I said leave."

Jade saluted and then walked out. Once she was alone, Kitana collapsed onto the floor as tears started to fall down her face. Silently she wept, knowing it would not do to allow her followers to know of her sorrow. "Damn you Shang Tsung, "she whispered hoarsely, "Liu…"

Outside the tent, Jade stopped one of Kitana's guards and said, "Prepare Kitana's things. She'll be leaving for Earthrealm soon."

**(Ranch House)  
**  
"I can't believe you thought to face Shang Tsung and Quan Chi alone, "ranted Sonya as she glared at Althea after she heard what happened.

"And this is from the woman who tried to take on the whole Black Dragon by herself saying this, "said Jax sitting on the couch.

Sonya turned her glare to him. "Don't give me that, "said Jax, "You know I'm right."

"Kabal and Kira are in their rooms. Kung Lao is in the gym blowing off some steam by working out with Sub-Zero and Frost, "said Johnny as he came downstairs, "Also, Nightwolf called and left a message saying he was flying over. I'm heading out to pick him up at the airport now."

Sonya nodded and said, "I'll call Stryker this afternoon when he gets off duty and see if he'll come out as well."

"Do you think it wise to have all the chosen warriors in one spot?" asked Althea with a frown.

Johnny smirked as he put on his sunglasses, "When has being _wise_ had anything do to with being chosen?"

Kenshi sighed as he rubbed his unseeing eyes under his sunglasses. He heard of these 'chosen' from his mentor but if it wasn't from the power he was sensing from the group he would have thought them a worthless bunch of fools. Then there were those 'dragons' he sensed coming from two of them. What did he just fall into?

At that moment Cyrax spoke up, "If I may suggest, a scouting expedition into Outworld may prove informative."

As Johnny opened the door he said, "Maybe, but I think we should wait until Kitana shows…you know she will once she finds out what happened."

The door closed as Johnny walked out at which time Althea said, "I think that's my cue…"

"Oh, no you don't, "snarled Sonya, "I'm not done…"

Althea's eyes flared as she said coldly, "Yes you are…I will no doubt hear all of this from Rayden, I don't need to hear it from you as well. Unless you have forgotten, I am NOT one your soldiers and will do as I damn well please." She then turned and walked out the door towards the dining room, slamming the door after her.

"Oooookay, "said Fujin appearing behind Sonya, "That didn't go well. By the way, Stryker is already on his way and should be here tomorrow."

"Man, Sonya, "said Jax, "She has a temper that can take on yours."

Sonya frowned angrily for a second then it vanished as if something dawned on her. "That wasn't like her, "she said quietly and then more loudly she asked as she turned to face Fujin, "What's wrong with her?"

Fujin sighed and then said tiredly, "Part of the downside of a soulbond. Althea and Rayden are sharing frustration and anger over recent events, therefore in a way doubling it for each other. They are being partially blinded by this anger…"

Jax stood up with a stretch and said, "If Althea is like this I definitively don't want to see how ol' Rayden is doing. I'm going to see if our tech guys have figured up something yet to block portals. We have to get this place secure."

A thoughtful look appeared on Fujin's face just before he vanished.

**(Kitchen)**

**!Slam!** A frying pan slammed onto the stove. **!Clang!** Cooking utensils fell on the counter next to the stove. **!Bang!** The drawer slammed shut. Althea reached for the refrigerator door only to have a hand take hold of her arm and turn her around to face a certain thundergod.

At that moment all the anger and frustration seemed to vanish as she fell into his chest with tear filled eyes. Rayden's own eyes closed as he wrapped his arms around the woman with a loud and tired sigh. He didn't bother to bring up her crazy attempt to leave for Outworld with nothing more than Cyrax and Kenshi with her. His own actions at the Temple of the Elder Gods could be considered even more insane, but he would not regret it. Too long has the council allowed scales to swing unbalanced. The darkness is growing and will continue to grow if not stopped. If he had not experienced a similar failed attempt racing blindly into Outworld centuries ago, he too would be making his way to stop the two sorcerers.

"Is this where you start your lecture? "said Althea, muffled by Rayden's chest.

Rayden leaned back slightly and made Althea looked up to him by placing his hand under her chin. "Normally, "said Rayden with a half-smile, "yes, but I think Sonya did a good enough job for me. Besides, you have the right idea only you…we need a better battle plan."

**(Outworld, The Wastelands)**

Reptile raced across the wastelands seeking those the strange woman spoke of. Not sure why he trusted her but for some reason that could only be called instinct; he knew she spoke the truth. Those who flew the darkened skies…Yessss, the Vampires are proven powerful in their own way but also having specific weaknesses. Having a servant such as him would prove most useful to them. Fighting that little itch in the back of his mine, that kept asking why he had to remain a servant.

On an overhanging cliff stood Nitara watching unseen as Reptile ran pass as she narrowed her eyes as she considered her options. So far what Lilith passed on from the mysterious woman has proven true. Nitara herself had seen the orb floating in the lava bed so close yet so impossible to get. Even a semi-immortal like Arianna, would find it difficult if not near impossible to retrieve. But how could a former reptilian slave of Kahn's be of any use in freeing her realm? He wouldn't be any good for a meal, since reptilian blood was so…ugh. Nitara's upper lip rose in disgust at the thought.

Nitara's wings flared out and she jumped off the cliff to follow Reptile through the wastelands. She had time to watch and see for herself just how useful this Zatterian might be.

**(Dark Room, Location Unknow)**

The shadowed figured leaned back as the events at the ranch house could be seen in a pool of flame. Tapping the armrest loudly the figure considered what actions if any he should take. So far everything that has occurred could only benefit himself. Even the chaos caused by the power vacuum in Outworld, would prove who was loyal and who wasn't. Leaning forward slightly to rest his chin on his fist, the faint red light of the fiery pool barely revealed the skull masked face of Shao Kahn.

**The End… **

Next Time on MK: Echoes of the Past…

Rayden chose to ignore the Elder God as he reached over to pick up what looked like to be a Chinese peasant hat but made out of armor rather than straw.


	31. Chapter 30: The Calm

**Authors Note: **Ok…two people have asked me this so far, so thought I should clear it up. Althea and Rayden will not be expecting the pitter patter of little godling feet…at least not anytime soon but in the future maybe. In the story I've been working off/on, which is Althea's history, the active mage-gifted can not have children without medical/mystical help. So no 'accidents' or 'happy surprises,' but children are possible if planned for and before anyone asks, this may or may not be true for Johnny Cage since even though he's not a true 'mage' he does use chi energy. This may be answered by Nightwolf later in the story since he is from what I've seen the closest thing to an Earthrealm 'mage' there is in Mortal Kombat even though he is more priest/shaman than mage.

Also, I do apologize for such a long wait. My muse quit and I had to look around for a new one. (sigh) Good help is so hard to find. Just to let you know I'm still continuing with the rewrite and those who read the chapters I had removed may recognize a few scenes.

**Chapter Thirty: The Calm**

Despite it being easier and faster for him just to summon his armor, he found it almost meditative to put it on piece by piece as a mortal warrior would. Rayden tied down his metallic wrist guards, ignoring the stiffness of the new leather. His old dark armor long since thrown away in guilt of what he had done while wearing it, this lighter brighter armor while no where matching his mood but it would have to suffice there was no way he was going into Outworld without some sort of defense. Even with Kahn dead, there were many who would love to get their revenge on himself or through those he cared for. Rayden's hand closed into lighting engulfed fist just before slamming down and destroying the small table next to his bed.

From the opened bedroom door Kronos asked, "Going somewhere?"

Rayden chose to ignore the Elder God as he reached over to pick up what looked like to be a Chinese peasant hat but made out of strips of metal in stead of straw. Tying it in place over the black coated chain mail hood, he then summoned his staff rather than his hammer. It would be mortals he would be facing on this trip, not immortals.

Kronos sighed, knowing there was only one way he was going to stop Rayden from going and in reality secretly wished the thundergod luck. Even he was getting frustration by the lack of response of the council but he at least understood there were reasons…reasons he was unable to unveil to anyone not of the council. Thankfully the same reasons why the council would do nothing about the sorcerers and rouge godslayer were 'preventing' him from stopping Rayden. As Rayden turned to face him he picked up a stack of bound scrolls that were on his bed. He opened one of them to see a map of Earth with each 'natural' portal marked, the map would change to one of Outworld the moment they stepped into that cursed realm. It was then it dawned on him. Looking Kronos straight in the face Rayden said, "You knew this was going to happen. You knew that Liu and Kahn were going to be assassinated. You knew that even if I didn't do anything, Althea would try to take it on herself to stop them and even gave her the means to do so."

Kronos just turned as if to walk out of the room, but stopped when Rayden added, "Why? You know there is no way she could have stood up to all of them alone."

Rayden didn't see the pained look in the Elder God's face when Kronos responded in a controlled voice, "Certain events must come to pass, in spite of what anyone including the Council of the Elder Gods decides upon. Rest assured, this time Althea is not expected to sacrifice herself." Kronos then turned with a humorless half smile and added, "She's already done that twice after all."

Rayden's eyes narrowed as he considered the Elder God's words. The God of Thunder nodded once and then vanished with a crash of thunder. Alone, Kronos said sadly to the now empty room, "No…she is not the one to make the sacrifice, but the one closest to her heart will."

**(Outside the Ranchhouse that Evening)**

Althea breathed in the night air as she sat on the ground her back to a fallen tree. Next to her, sitting on the log was Kung Lao staring into the fire that for some reason, Johnny insisted on starting. The same actor was, kneeling next to the fire tossing broken pieces of wood into the flames. Sonya and Kitana sat silently behind Johhny, on another log. A little to the right Jax and Cyrax were sitting at the old wooden, hole filled, table going over some diagrams on a laptop computer as Stryker watched over Jax's shoulder. Left of Sonya and Kitana, sat Sub-Zero and Frost on the ground with Sub-Zero talking to her quietly as she listened intently. However he went silent as he saw Kabal and Kira walk towards the group. Nightwolf sitting with Kiva and next to Kenshi sent Althea a curious look as if he was considering or seeing something that concerned him.

Kuravan appeared in a flash of blue light next to the black dragons and after a slow look around crossed his arms as he closed his eyes to wait. Althea sent her grandfather an ugly look but ignored him as she mentally went over what mage tools she had that might prove useful and if there was any that maybe Johnny could use with his own limitedly trained chi abilities.

A flash of light with the sound of thunder got everyone's attention as Rayden appeared before them. In a serious voice, rarely heard Rayden spoke,"Mortal Kombat has always have been and always will be…for a millennia the forces of good and evil been locked in a battle for the control of Earthrealm. Some have sought to use the tournament to destroy all that is good, others seek vengeance, power or eternal life. Time after time, each individual threat has been vanquished. Once again Earth is in peril and this time the threat of evil has three faces. It is now known that Quan Chi has left the Netherrealm and has found the long forgotten Dragon King's undefeatable army. Worse of all has formed an alliance with two of our most formidable enemies, Shang Tsung and Arianna. Together they plotted to over power the only two beings able to truly prevent their domination of Outworld and Earth. The first was the emperor, Shao Kahn. In a false show of allegiance, Quan Chi and Shang Tsung they sprung their attack and slew the immortal emperor with Althea's immortal killing swords. They then traveled to Earthrealm with the aid of Arianna's crystal, there they faced Earth's greatest warrior and champion of Mortal Kombat, Liu Kang. It has been Shang Tsung's desire to consume the soul of Earthrealm's greatest warrior. With Quan Chi's and Arianna's assistance he achieved this goal. Liu Kang is dead. They have since returned to Outworld and are now using the souls of conquered warriors to resurrect the Dragon King's undefeatable army. If they should succeed they will have the means to conquer Outworld and eventually Earth as well. They will be unstoppable. I can not stand idly by and watch this evil consume this world. I have turned my back on the Elder Gods to be able to lead you all to battle against our old adversaries. We must stop this deadly alliance."

"And they say I can get over dramatic, "whispered Johnny just loud enough for everyone to hear. Sonya reached over and slapped the back of his head.

Kung Lao had stopped listening at the point where Rayden mentioned that Shang consumed Liu's soul. A woman's voice entered his head just after that as if reminding him and he said out loud part of what she told him, "…souls of the chosen are protected…"

Everyone turned to Kung Lao especially the mystically oriented. "That is what she was trying to tell me, "Kung Lao said louder as he stood up, "Liu was a chosen warrior, his soul was protected. How could Shang consume or enslave his soul, it should be impossible?"

"Hmmm…"murmured Rayden as he considered Kung Lao's words.

"The monk's right or at least partially so, "said Kuravan, "the souls of mortals chosen by the gods have protections against being consumed, enslaved or even destroyed. However a powerful sorcerer familiar with certain forbidden arts could still imprison a chosen's soul and eventually break through such protections."

"How long?" asked Sub-Zero.

Kuravan shrugged and answered, "It would depend on the soul and sorcerer. The stronger the soul the harder to break the protections since the soul is able to fight back however the stronger the sorcerer…"

"So we have time, not much but some, "said Rayden, "Shang may be strong but he has his hands full with reviving the Dragon King's army since Quan Chi can't handle souls like he can. Liu is a Mortal Kombat champion, his soul was given special protections that not even the other chosen have been given, plus he has a very strong soul. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been chosen in the first place, no matter who his ancestor was."

At that point Johnny jumped in, "Hey, if Liu's death was caused by someone breaking the rules couldn't he be brought back like…well I was."

At that moment, the wind picked up scattering ash and sparks all around. Fujin appeared and said, "You have got to be kidding me. There is no way that the chosen are not going to Outworld they are needed here…"

Rayden said, "The plan is to leave behind some of the remaining chosen. Nightwolf's abilities would be sorely hampered in Outworld and he would be better suited to shore up Earth's mystical defenses. Stryker is also to stay behind and see to the more mortal aspect of the defenses. Unless, I'm mistaken he has already been given full clearance with the OIA and temporary command of its resources."

"What?!" exclaimed Stryker as Sonya nodded.

Then Kuravan stepped up and added, "And Kabal will be remaining as well since I have further need of his services here and is quite suited to ensuring the shadier aspects of Earth's defenses are in place not to mention possible means of retreat. After all, they didn't call the Dragon King's army undefeatable for nothing."

"If they're so undefeatable, "countered Althea, "Then why are they all dead and forgotten. Then again, you were always the type to step back and hide while others do your fighting and dieing for you."

Kuravan's eyes flared up as Kabal and Kira pulled out their weapons. Althea stood up with flamed engulfed fists as Sonya and Jax moved to back her up. Johnny just shook his head and sighed, as if knowing the peaceful co-existence between the two groups was too good to last.

"ENOUGH!" the ground shook with Rayden's thunderous roar. Kuravan turned to face Rayden with a snarl as a large black khopish with silver trim appeared in his hand. "Try it Kuravan, "said Rayden with his own eyes flashing, "Stopping Shang and the others is more important but I'm more than ready for a rematch."

Kuravan gave a short laugh as his weapon vanished. "It would be a waste of energy, "said Kuravan, "After all, you're no longer a real threat to my goals since you insulted the Elder Gods but those sorcerers while carry those cursed swords are as is that…traitor."

"Now that we got that established, "said Rayden, "Here's the plan…"

**(Chinese Countryside)**

Shujinko sighed tiredly as he heard his joints pop as he stood up in the bus and threw an old worn leather backpack over one shoulder. Gods…he hated getting old. You would think the Elder Gods would at least keep their chosen warrior young so that he could complete his mission before dieing of old age. Instead they seem fit that he would age faster than normal, thanks to having to go wading in that cursed pool in the Netherrealm. Stepping off the public transportation in the middle of the Chinese countryside, he ignored the dust cloud as the bus drove off. He walked towards a small, grassy hill in the distance. As he approached it, the world around him seemed to melt away for a few moments to be replaced by a strange stone column lined circle with what appeared to be nothingness beyond them. Long use to the sight, he acted as if he didn't even notice as he continued walking towards the stone altar and knelt before it briefly. A bright light appeared above the temple and a kind voice spoke, "Welcome back, Shujinko. I hope that your journey has proved fruitful."

Shujinko stood up and tried his best to ignore his kneels creaking as he did. He removed the backpack from his shoulder and opened it to pull out a flat, crystalline, gold and white ying-yang colored item about the size of two hands laid flat together. Shujinko smiled for the first time that day and held up the item saying, "I got the last Kamidogu, now all that is needed is the medallion."

"Excellent, "answered the voice as the light brightened noticeably, "Why not take a rest while I research where the medallion might be. You got this one sooner than I expected or hoped."

Shujinko nodded as he placed the Kamidogu in its place on the altar and turned to walk out as the light vanished. As he approached the edge of the circle instead of the normal melting away of the Nexus, it stayed solid and he had to stop otherwise he would have fallen into the void beyond. "Strange, "the old man muttered. A loud growl came from behind and he turned to see a large eight foot skeleton looking creature with glowing red eyes. "Crap,"said Shujinko as flames started flickering through the monster's fangs.

**The End…**

Next time on MK: Echoes of the Past…

The quiet sounds of footsteps caused the two guarding male vampires to turn. The both bowed before the approaching females and moved aside to allow them to pass. Nitara stepped forward, followed by Lillith and Arianna.


	32. Chapter 31: The Nexus

**Chapter Thirty-One: The Nexus**

A badly singed Shujinko crashed into the altar. He painfully pushed himself off the altar and with a gasp he noticed that the Kamidogu were gone, the same Kamidogu that he spent his entire adult life searching for.

"Now you shall pay for your crimes, "said a rough, growling voice as Shujinko felt himself being picked up by the collar of his jacket.

"What crimes?" demanded Shujinko, trying to slide free of the monster's grip.

"YOUR CRIMES AGAINST THE ELDER GODS!" roared the monster once again throwing Shujinko across the room. As the old man crashed into a stone pillar, the creature continued, "You have brought together what should have never been reunited thus endangering the balance."

"What?" gasped Shujinko as he fought to stand, "I was serving the…"

A blast of light blue flame slamming into the creature interrupted Shujinko's claims and drew the creature's attention away from the old man.

At the edge of the Nexus stood a woman in ancient looking black leather armor with gray metal trim, her snow white hair pulled up in a bun and a pair of swords strapped to her back. The Creature snarled, "What are you doing here? Have you also betrayed the Elder Gods?"

The woman said nothing as she walked towards Shujinko and stood in front of him, facing the Creature and then crossed her arms.

"TRAITOR!" the creature roared as he ran and swung his claws striking a previously unseen energy shield causing sparks to fly.

"Oh calm down will you. Neither of us are traitors, "said the woman and pointed over her shoulder with her thumb, "He's just an idiot and I'm here to make sure he knows it without being killed so he can clean up the mess he made."

"Neither of you will leave here ALIVE!" the Creature roared as he summoned his own flames and used it to empower his claws as he sliced though the shield forcing the woman to drop them.

As the shields went down she pulled out her swords going into an offensive stance. "I didn't want to do this, "she said as blue flames ran across the blades, "but you leave me no choice."

She ducked as the Creature attempted to slash her and she countered with a double slash of her own. Both blades scored across the Creatures lower mid section leaving behind deep grooves in the bony armour like skin, grooves that bled flame. The Creature growled as he jumped back and spat a stream of flame towards the woman who dived and rolled out of the way dropping her swords as she came up on one knee to return the favor with a blast of light blue flame of her own from her palms which the Creature just slapped away from him with the back of his clawed hand.

"Ok, "the woman muttered as she grabbed her swords and stood up, "that's not good."

Shujinko shakily stood up, once again cursing his age. He stood there and held his hands, palms facing each other, in front of him. Calling up his own chi, a sliver light began to appear between the palms. Dim at first but the more he concentrated the brighter and larger it became. Once it completely filled the space between his hands, he rolled it so that one palm faced straight up cupping the energy and the other faced down as if holding it in place. He then pulled back and then threw it as he snapped his palms open and forward in on move. The energy ball flew and slammed into the Creatures side causing no damage what so ever except for bringing Shujinko once again to the Creature's attention.

"Idiot, "the woman hissed under her breath as she attempted to get the Creature's attention back on herself by slashing into its sides. The Creature backhanded her, effectively knocking her away from him, as he continued walking towards Shujinko.

Shujinko sent another blast of chi in the futile hopes that it would slow the Creature down as he step backwards. 'Where the hell was Damashi?' Shujinko thought.

The Creature sent a fist down towards the old man, only to have it slam into another shield. The fist rose as flames started to engulf it as the fist started its trek downward a sword of blue flame met up with it, slicing through the wrist. The Creature roared in pain as he gripped the flaming stump at the end of his arm.

The woman shoved Shujinko behind the altar with her shoulder and ordered, "Keep your fool head down!"

A large wall a flame roared towards them, forcing both of them to duck behind the limited shelter of the altar. The woman once again brought up a shield to add to their protection. She sheathed her swords with a thoughtful look on her eyes that then became determined. "Here's the plan, "she said as the fires continue to roar around them as the Creature blindly sent its flaming breath across the room in its rage, "I'm sending you to Outworld and you are going to get those damn Kamidogu back. Once you do that get back to Earth and hand them over to Fujin, the God of Wind and Sworn Protector of Earthrealm. He'll get them back to their proper owners."

"I thought…"Shujinko started to say only to be interrupted by the Creature once again slamming into the shield causing the woman to flinch as if in pain.

"Damn that thing is strong, "the woman muttered as her eyes started to flash, "I'm going to force open the portal to Outworld and I need you to get through it as fast as possible since I won't be able to keep both the portal open and face old bone face over there."

"Will you not be coming with me?" he asked as they stood up.

The woman's eyes looked tired for a moment as she said, "I can't, for in here time does not exist so I can."

"What?" Shujinko asked as the portal opened up behind him.

"Just go!"said the woman as she dropped the shields and pushed him through. The last thing he heard as he fell through the portal was the roars of the Creature and the woman saying, "Now you're gonna get it!"

**(Vampire Camp in the Wastelands)**

A tied up Reptile hissed and spat from behind the muzzle as a pair of winged males watched from a distance. A female was tending to an injured third male, wiping away red and green gore from his face.

The quiet sounds of footsteps caused the two guarding males to turn. The both bowed before the approaching females and moved aside to allow them to pass. Nitara stepped forward, followed by Lillith and Arianna. Nitara snarled slightly as she said, "So this is the creature that was recommended to us by your mysterious informant, Lillith."

"Yes my Lady, "replied Lillith calmly, "Even without her suggestion, we could do worse. He may not seem like much, but he is loyal to those he calls master and has some most useful skills. If nothing else, you could give him a trial run and have him keep either the sorcerers or Rayden's group busy."

Nitara thought for a few seconds and then said, "Reptile, I will give you this 'trial run' and if you prove yourself I will give you a place among my forces…Release him."

One of the still kneeling males stood and walked over to as ordered. Once able Reptile hissed, "Thank you, my Queen, I will try my bessssst to sssserve you faithfully."

**(Los Angeles)**

"I don't fucking believe it, "growled Mavado as he watched the video of a meeting that took place less than an hour ago, "That bastard Kabal survived…"

The crime lord leaned back into his couch as he listened on to the group's plans.

"Kano was last scene leading Kahn's forces…"came Kitana's voice from the screen.

"What?!" hiss Mavado, unintentionally echoing Sonya's recorded response.

"Ah, that so explains so many things, "came Quan Chi's voice.

In one smooth move Mavado stood, turned, seemingly pulled a glock out of thin air already cocked and aimed at the sorcerer.

"You didn't know that you old comrade was still alive, "Quan Chi continued as if nothing happened.

"What are you doing here, Quan Chi? "demanded Mavado not lowering his gun.

Quan Chi grinned and said, "Now is that anyway to greet a long term customer."

Mavado slowly lowered his gun with a faint growl, "What do you want this time?"

A tall woman with long, curly red hair walked into the room carrying a large book. She wore a tight leather skirt and tight leather vest held barely closed with what appeared to be large claws. She stopped next to Quan Chi and opened the book with the pages facing up. From the pages, a green light rose and in this light appeared seven icons. One of which could also be tied to Quan Chi's belt.

"As you no doubt noticed, "said Quan Chi as he tapped the floating image of the medallion causing it to disappear, "I already have one of these seven artifacts…I wish to acquire the other six. Fortunately, this should be a relatively easy job. A old fool, by the name of Shujinko has been hunting down the Kamidogu for decades. My sources tell me he just found the last one."

"Let me guess, "said Mavado, "You want my men to find this Jinko character and get these…artifacts. What's the catch? It sounds simple enough. Why can't your girlfriend here do it?"

The woman in question smiled and closed the book without saying a word.

"Let's just say, "said Quan Chi slyly, "I rather that certain power's not know that I have acquired said items and where Siann's loyalty belongs to is no secret. Now…shall we discuss price."

"My price is simple, "said Mavado, "I want Kano."

**(Ranch House)**

"Come on, Sonya, "said Johnny following blonde into the kitchen, "Don't tell me you're mad about not wanting to start a fight with…"

Sonya turned and snarled, "I'm mad because you didn't back me…us up!"

Johnny sighed, "Back you up against who? The people we're suppose to be working with?"

Sonya fumed and turned away with her arms crossed, but calmed down enough to see what he was saying. She muttered, "Your right."

"Sheesh, "said Johnny, "When did I get the job of being the sensible one. That's Rayden's job. I'm supposed to be the cute and funny one."

Sonya's anger vanished and she was forced to cover her own mouth to keep from laughing.

Johnny stepped forward and wrapped his arms around her as he said, "See, what did I tell you?"

At that moment the door swung open. "Hey, guys, "said Jax while he walked in but then seeing them added, "Uh…sorry about that. Talk to you guys later." He then turned and walked back out.

Sonya's head fell forward as she said, "Oh God…"

"Yeeessss, "came Fujin's voice.

Johnny let Sonya go as he turned to face the wind god with a, "Oh come on…Jax I understand, he's staying here…why are you here?"

"Because, "Fujin said, "Althea threatened to kill me if I walked in on her and Rayden one more time."

"Don't you have anything better to do, "said Sonya with her arms crossed.

Fujin suddenly turned serious and said, "Actually this isn't a social call…the Elder Gods are seriously upset with Rayden more so than I've ever seen them. Half the council wants Rayden to give him Shinnok's old cell in the Neatherrealm. One wants to do away with him completely along with Althea, saying that Rayden is now a traitor and with a godslayer at his side is the real threat. I was hoping you two would be willing to help him out."

"What can we do?" asked Sonya with a confused look.

Johnny added, "I don't think there's much we can do to convince these Elder Gods…"

Fujin shook his head and said, "I'll deal with the Elder Gods. Rayden has more than just a few friends in high places which I can call in. I just want to ask that you keep an eye on him and Althea. Especially, Althea…if anything happens to her Rayden may do something really stupid."

Johnny had to say it,"Worse than getting the Elder Gods angry with him?"

"Trust me, "said Fujin with a small smile, "this isn't the first time Rayden has been on the bad side of the council. On the other hand Rayden suffered for over five centuries believing Althea died and due to their bond. I don't want to see that happen again or worse."

"Althea's a big girl, she can take care of herself, "said Sonya and then turned her head to look at Johnny as he placed a hand on her shoulder as he said, "But we'll watch her back as she watches ours."

**The End…**

Next Time on MK: Echoes of the Past…

In a dark, damp cave barely lit with corroded lamps bolted into the rocky walls. In the center of the mist covered floor, laid a single coffin faintly glowing with flickers of purplish electric sparks running across its surface.

"Soon, my brother, "Arianna whispered as she stroked coffin.


	33. Chapter 32: Thoughtful Dead

**Note:** Thanks for the reviews. Trust me they really help when it comes to fighting writer's block.

Now in thanks of the reviews, I'm gonna try again in answering questions brought up in the reviews so (clears throat) here's a few answers to the questions sent to me by Noor Ahmad….

Lady Tomorrow is someone from the future that is ensuring a certain timeline is followed. As for whether or not we have met her current time counterpart I will not say yes or no. She's gives a little bit of mystery to the story but I have given a number of hints both intentional and un-intentional as to her true identity.

Noob Saibot is Sub-Zeroes older brother in this story. I try to keep as much of the characters' past to canon as possible while still having some lee-way with the story. (ie Sonya' family is straight from her MK card bio). However, I reserve the right to 'adjust' a character's history as I see fit (ie Scorpion's) to make sure it sticks with the story line which originated, if you can believe it, from the MK: Conquest TV show. If you don't see this please check out my other story MK: Conquest (Self promotion is a wonderful thing)

**Chapter Thirty Two: Thoughtful Dead**

In a dark, damp cave barely lit with corroded lamps bolted on to the rocky walls. In the center of the mist covered floor, laid a single coffin faintly glowing with flickers of purplish electric sparks running across its surface. A portal opened with a loud hiss, creating currents in the mist and allowing Arianna to step through without a glance towards the sputtering lamps her full attention on the coffin. She knelt down and almost lovingly stroked the coffin's lid. Her hand froze for a moment as a frown appeared on Arianna's face. The frown vanished as her eyes widened slightly as if in understanding. The woman stood up and walked towards one of the cavern's walls to pick up a web encrusted mace from the ground.

Unseen in a darkened crevasse, Lillith observed every single move Arianna made. What the vampire saw concerned her. Arianna was suppose to be preparing to acquire the orb but was instead wasting her energy on…whatever this was.

Arianna placed the mace on the coffin and smiled as it seemed to melt into lid, leaving behind the webs which she gently dusted away as the coffin lit up. At first the coffin lit up slightly only to end up flaring nearly blinding the vampire. The purple tinted light eventually died down to the same dimness as before with the only noticeable difference being the sparks running across the coffin seem to be more numerous and faster than before.

"Soon, my brother, "Arianna whispered as she stroked coffin and then said louder, "What do you want Lillith?"

The vampire walked out from the shadows, her wings flaring in agitation. "This does no look like preparations for…"

"No they are not, "interrupted Arianna as she turned to faced the winged female, "Surely a creature such as your self should understand what I am doing."

It dawned on Lillith as she hissed, "You can not be considering bringing one such as him back…Even if it was possible it would be insane to do so."

"Insane…maybe, "smirked Arianna, "Possible…definitely."

Lillith hissed as she pulled out her kamas, "You never meant…"

"Oh I plan to keep up my end of the bargain, "Arianna said still smiling, "For what good is a god without a realm."

Lillith snarled as she ran to attack, eyes glowing red in her rage. Arianna sighed exaggeratedly as she dodged the first two swipes of Lillith's kamas. Lillith opened her mouth to spit only to end up gasping in pain and falling to the ground to reveal a single kama deep in the center of her back.

"I never did tell you about a new trick I learned, "said Arianna to the dieing Lillith, "Guess you could call it a 'Timely Attack.' All I have to do is throw one of these, "Arianna pulled out a kama from her belt and then threw it hard only to have it vanish is a flash of dark red light, "And it will appear almost as if out of nowhere minutes before I even threw it or minutes after whichever I choose. Funny thing is I can't make it go any father than a few minutes either back or forward in time. Guess that old paradox rule prevents any further leeway."

Lillith groaned and moved slightly. "Still alive, "said Arianna as she placed a foot next to the partially buried kama and raised a red flame engulfed hand, "Guess I'm just going to have to correct that."

**(A Dark Forest)  
**

Shujinko looks around trying to figure out where the mysterious woman sent him to. All he sees is a dark forest with strangely moaning trees.

"The Living Forest, "mumbled Shujinko who then sighed just before slapping himself, "Ok old man, time to…"

A loud growl interrupted his verbal thoughts, he slowly turned to see every single tree now had at least one Tarkatan standing either at its base or up in its branches. Shunjinko took a step back and bumped into something…someone.

A more feminine growl sounded right behind his ear as a single sai appeared at his throat. "Foolish old man, "hissed the woman, "You dare…"

The sai scrapped across Shujinkos throat as something pulled the woman away from him.

"GET OVER HERE!"

Shujinko turned to see a pink and black clad woman being pulled back by a rope of some sort around here throat to a yellow and black clad warrior.

Once the woman was within reach, Scorpion ran the rope once more over the throat to hold it with both hands.

The woman roared as her foot went up and over her head to slam into Scorpion's face forcing him to let go.

The Tarkatan started chanting, "Mileena! Mileena! Mileena!"

Mileena turned to face Scorpion, but then back flipped away from him. Shujinko ran to the side of the area, only to find that she stopped to pick up her fallen sai. Pulling out its twin from her belt, she twirled them and went in to a combative stance.

"What is this human to you?" she demanded.

Scorpion's answer was to raise his mask to reveal a skull and spit out a stream of hellfire towards the woman. When the hellfire cleared she was nowhere to be seen. Scorpion crossed his arms in a blocking move in front of his face just in time for a feminine boot to crash into it. Mileena was forced to flip backwards to land safely on her feet. While she was still in the air, Scorpion vanished in a puff of hellfire and smoke only to reappear behind Shujinko. The specter's arm wrapped around the old man's neck and then they both vanished with a flash of flame and smoke.

"Groarrrrrrrr!" Mileena screeched.

**(Grassy Field)**

Shujinko found himself falling and then landing heavily into the ground with a loud, "Oof!" Standing up and dusting himself off, he then looked around to find himself now apparently alone in a grassy field with nothing more than a single rocky outcrop in the middle of it. With nothing better to do, the old man walks over to the outcrop. As he nears it, he notices that what he thought was a natural but unusual pile of rocks was in actually a four sided column of stone that was obviously shaped by man. It was worn down so much it took getting up close to see the symmetric shape and faint carvings. Shujinko ran his hand across a few of the carvings trying to figure out what they meant. Faint engraving of two dragons flying over what could have been a battle of some sort covered one side. Another side two human-like figure barely distinguishable from the rough stone could be more felt than seen facing each other with one holding up a hammer-like weapon and the other more clearly a polearm. Shujinko walked around the monument to check out the other two sides. One had what appeared to writing in a language which Shujinko did not recognize; it was more noticeable being less worn down than the other two sides. On the fourth and last side were seven icons. Six of which were very familiar to the old man, in spite of being faint and worn down: The Kamidogu.

Shujinko raised his hand to touch the carvings only to hesitate just before placing his hand on the stone, suddenly getting that being watched feeling. He turned around to see Scorpion standing there staring at and through him. Shujinko went into a defensive stance not bothering to ask why only stood there waiting for an attack…that never came.

Scorpion walked pass and around the old man to look at the side of the column with the ancient writing. The specter's eyes narrowed as he apparent read the writing. He then looked down to the palms of his hands, which then closed up into fists. "You are unable to read this, "said Scorpion with his hallow voice.

"No,"responded Shujinko, "I can't."

"It wasn't a question, "Scorpion growled and he turned to look at Shujinko directly in eyes, "It seems you are not worthy to read the writings of the Elder Gods. Only those truly touched by Them are able to do so."

Shujinko was about to respond that he was the Elder Gods chosen warrior when full implications of what happened in the Nexus finally sunk in. Nearly falling to his knees, Shujinko could only curse him self for being a fool for so long. Of course he was not worthy for the Elder Gods, he possibly handed over the tool to the destruction of all Their work to a creature who obviously wanted them for something not for the greater good.

"I may not be worthy, "said Shujinko with a rough voice, "But I know part of what I have to do to make amends to Them."

A creepy laugh filled the air as Scorpion seemed to have found some humor in Shujinko's response. "Do you really think, "said Scorpion, "That They care?"

"What do you mean?"

"For eons They stand back, watch and do nothing, "answered Scorpion, "There was even a direct invasion of Their temple and yet They allow two of Their most loyal followers fight to possible destruction. If it wasn't for the actions of one They once sought to destroy, there would be no Elder Gods."

Shujinko frowned and said, "You would speak in such a way…Yet are you able to read…"

With flaming eyes, Scorpion sent a fist into the stone monument with a loud crash. Cracks ran from where he struck the stone running slowly across the writing stopping just short of the corners. Scorpion breathed harshly as if trying to regain control. After a few long minutes of silence the specter answered, "Yes I can…yet I do not understand."

"Understand?"

"What the words speak of…happened eons ago, before my own existence, "replied Scorpion in a voice not as hollow as it normally was, "Yet it brings…memories."

**(Flashback)**

"Shinnok!" A dark armor wearing, Rayden yelled with all the rage in his soul.

"Raijin, "the dark lord answered astride his new steed, the Black Dragon, "Let us end this once and for all."

The Black Dragon flew down breathing its deadly flame upon mortal and immortal alike. Shinnok still on its back, roared with laughter at the slaughter. Fuijin let his arrows fly one after another into the Dragon's wings, shredding them as they flew through them. The Dragon and its rider fell to the ground. Shinnok walked from the crash unharmed as the Dragon writhed in pain.

Rayden glared at his father with such hatred and anger that the surrounding battle slowed and then stopped. Rayden with his warhammer in hand watched as Shinnok summoned his polearm. "Well, my son, "the former Elder God drawled, "You've grown stronger than I ever hoped you would. If you were not on the wrong side, I would have been proud."

"I am no longer you son, "replied Rayden, "All I see in front of me is a traitor and cold blooded killer."

A human man looked around hoping that someone, namely Fujin, to step in. Surely everyone can see if the Thunder God continues as he was all would be lost. Looking towards where the Black Dragon of Shadows fell, he saw Fujin obviously debating with himself on whether to stop Rayden or keep his crossbow on the still breathing Black Dragon.

Shinnok shrugged with his polearm over his shoulder,"That's your opinion, Raijin, not mine."

"My name is RAYDEN!" the god of thunder yelled as he swung his hammer in rage. Shinnok smiled as he easily dodged the hammer. "Tsk, tsk, "he said, "Guess that bitch of a mother of yours never taught you to control that temper."

The man stepped forward and between the two deities. "Lord Rayden please, "the man almost begged. Shinnok's cruel laughter filled the air and that was the last thing he heard with the sight of Rayden's own hammer swinging towards him. The man's body flew through the air to crash into the ground. His hand landed open revealing metal strips in the palms of his armored gloves.

**(End of Flashback)**

Shunijko said, "So you were here for the battle this monument is…"

Scorpion's hands went up to the sides of his head as he growled, "That is IMPOSSIBLE! I was…created less than six hundred years ago from the death of a lowly bodyguard."

"Are you certain?" queried the old man.

The fires of the Netherrealm filled Scorpions' eyes as he glared at Shujinko. "You are lucky I have a use for you, "Scorpion growled.

**(Quan Chi's Palace)**

A mummified creature in armor raised a whip and slashed it downwards across the back of man he thought was moving too slowly. The narrow but long stream of downtrodden and beaten prisoners flowed pass. From an overhanging balcony Shang Tsung watched with a sneer. Was this the best that Quan Chi could provide for their army? He flinched as a searing pain flared across the inside of his head. Blast that monk! When will he give up and just accept his fate? The sorcerer brought a gloved hand to his forehead to rub it firmly. Enslaving the soul of a chosen warrior was a long, drawn out process especially if that warrior was a champion or stubborn. Normally, it wouldn't be worth the effort or risks but in this case, Shang made the exception.

The sorcerer closed his eyes briefly and the image of Liu Kang appeared in his mind. The beaten looking monk was still fighting the mystical tentacles that were to enslave him and fighting them to a standstill. Shang Tsung snarled as he opened his now green glowing eyes. Until that fool either lost or gave up the fight, the sorcerer would have to waste valuable energy and concentration just to keep the soul from escaping. It would almost be easier to just let the monk continue on to his respective afterlife and never bother with him again except for the fact that the dead seem to have an annoying tendency of returning lately. That idiot specter Scorpion, the clown Johnny Cage and the clone Arianna…the specter and clone he could understand for in a sense they were still dead but why the clown? If the Elder Gods were willing to allow that worthless mortal to return then there was little doubt that they will be willing to allow a Mortal Kombat champion that died through a definite breech of the rules to be resurrected.

Shang Tsung opened his eyes when he heard the sounds of footsteps approach. One of their recently animated soldiers approached and kneeled before him. "An army approaches, "it said from behind a rusty, moss covered mask, "an army of Tarkatan lead by a human."

"Kano, "Shang Tsung muttered under his breath and then more loudly ordered, "See to it that the human is led to the throne…no my study, I wish to speak with him alone."

The soldier stood up and saluted by slapping his right fist onto the left side of his chest. He then turned to follow the sorcerer's orders. Once the soldier was out of site, Shang raised his hand and with a flaming finger started writing strange fiery cuneiforms in the air. An evil smiled appeared on his face as he reconsidered his options and sent his orders to his 'lovely' subordinates.

"Don't worry about it, "said Johnny with his classic grin, "Even before I knew I had this chi power stuff, I kicked butt."

"And got your own butt kicked as well, "came Rayden's voice as he appeared behind Althea placing a hand on her shoulder.


End file.
